Huffman won the Democratic nomination for the 6th district in a hotly contested June 2006 primary in which he surprised the political establishment with a victory over Pamela Torliatt, a Petaluma city councilwoman, and Cynthia Murray, a Marin County Supervisor who was initially considered the front-runner.
The Democratic nomination for the 6th district was contested by Huffman, Torliatt, and Murray in June 2006.  Huffman's victory over these two established figures surprised many political observers.