Jared Huffman savors turn in 'Colbert Report' spotlight (w/video)

Who has the “furry Ewoks” to represent California’s 2nd congressional district (“The Fightin’ 2nd”)? According to Stephen Colbert, it’s Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.

The freshman congressman appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” on Tuesday night to tout the North Coast, raise awareness of the drought and play straight man to Colbert’s satirically conservative pundit character.

Huffman said the wide-ranging, two-hour interview, which touched on foreign policy and climate change, and was edited down to a humorous seven-minute segment, was a fun way to showcase his district.

“It’s a district that shows very well, and I’m proud to tell people about it,” he said. “It was hard to keep a straight face at times. (Colbert) has got such a rapid wit. I knew to let him do the funny stuff.”

Huffman’s piece aired as part of Colbert’s “Better Know a District” segment, a long-running series on the show that features interviews with different members of Congress from around the country. His district, which covers Marin County, much of Sonoma County and the North Coast to the Oregon border, was the 91st to be profiled on the show. Former Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, appeared on the show in 2006.

The district, Colbert said, has the largest marijuana farming region in the United States and hosts the “secret retreat for the power elite known as Bohemian Grove, where everyone from Robert Oppenheimer to Ronald Reagan has gone to skinny dip and practice quasi-pagan rituals.”

The 2nd District is also home to George Lucas’ rural Marin County production studio, Skywalker Ranch, which Colbert said is “named after his iconic ‘Star Wars’ character, Luke Ranch.”

Colbert asked Huffman his position on Han Solo “shooting first,” a reference to a controversial change made in the 1997 re-release of the 1977 “Star Wars” film.

“This was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, so it’s not going to affect anything, but Han is just standing his ground,” Colbert said, referring to laws in some states giving individuals the right to defend themselves with lethal force if threatened.

“I’m not a fan of shoot first,” Huffman replied.

Colbert’s star has continued to rise since “The Colbert Report” launched 10 years ago, and he will be leaving the show to replace David Letterman as host of “The Late Show” next year. The move will bring an end to Colbert’s caricature of a conservative talk show host. It also will mean no more profiles of congressional districts, and Huffman’s will go down as one of the last.

Huffman said the appearance was one of the highest-profile interviews he has done. He said Wednesday he was fielding many calls and emails from people who saw the show.

“It’s really animated my social media. It lit it up,” he said. “I am surprised at how many people on the North Coast are fans of Colbert.”

At the end of the interview, Colbert asked Huffman about his membership in groups for representatives of wine-making and cheese-making regions, the Congressional Wine Caucus and “cheese caucus.”

“Is there a cracker caucus?” Colbert asked.

“I’m not aware of a cracker caucus,” Huffman said.

“I think the cracker caucus is just the entire Republican Party,” Colbert said.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Brown at 521-5206 or matt.brown@pressdemocrat.com.