North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman launches his own podcast

North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman, already an active presence on social media, is launching his own podcast in hopes of developing one more way to engage voters in his sprawling district and perhaps, more importantly, allow them to get to know him better.

Beginning today, Huffman, D-San Rafael, will post bimonthly audio recordings featuring guests and discussions on a range of issues confronting Northern Californians and their elected representatives in Washington.

The intimate nature of podcasts, which can be downloaded and played at the listener’s discretion, should, Huffman said, allow for a more informal, conversational approach to complex or controversial subjects.

“What I was looking for is a way to have some relaxed conversations that might go a little deeper into policy, a little deeper into the way I’m wrestling with issues or the way I’m articulating them that might go deeper than what you can do with a press release or a social media post,” he said.

He’s inviting constituents to submit questions or propose discussion topics, though so far, most who have provided input want to know his thoughts on the recent election and what it will be like moving forward, he said.

Titled “Off the Cuff with Rep. Huffman,” the podcast will be available on a variety of platforms, including iTunes, SoundCloud and Medium.

Former Crossfire host and political analyst Bill Press, once chairman of the California Democratic Party, will appear as guest on the episode that drops today. Already recorded, the episode includes discussions with the part-time Marin County resident about the current state of the nation as well as politics of the North Bay, Huffman said.

Huffman said he also wants people from the district on his show who have insight or expertise in certain areas.

“You want to keep it real,” he said. “Not everybody’s going to choose to download and listen to a podcast, but those who do are, by and large, interested in what makes their congressman tick, what makes these interesting guests tick. And they get to be part of an actual conversation. It’s not scripted.”

Huffman said he was inspired to create his own podcast in part because of several he enjoys listening to.

But he said he acted on the idea largely at the suggestion of a friend in Marin County who produces them and thought it would be a useful tool for the two-term congressman.

Huffman also knows at least two other federal lawmakers who have their own podcasts.

Anyone interested in submitting questions or topic ideas can write to huffmanpodcast@gmail.com.

Listeners can hear or subscribe to Off the Cuff with Jared Huffman through SoundCloud, iTunes, or medium.com/@RepHuffman.