Nicolette Hahn Niman, an independent candidate for California’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District, is making rural representation a centerpiece of her campaign. Following last year’s Proposition 50 redistricting — which made District 2 the largest congressional district in the state — she has been traveling to smaller communities in Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties to listen, learn, and share her vision. She is confident she is the candidate best positioned to understand the needs of this area.
On her most recent trip, Niman spent several days visiting communities across Siskiyou and Shasta Counties. Her April 11 public meeting at the McCloud River Inn drew residents with questions and comments on affordability, housing, food production, timber, and fire management, among other topics. She demonstrated a solid grasp of how those issues are interconnected — particularly in rural areas — and acknowledged that her ongoing conversations with local leaders across various industries have given her a much better understanding of the region. “Taking good care of nature is what people are supposed to do,” she said.
Niman brings a distinctive background to the race. An environmental attorney who has worked with the National Wildlife Federation and the Waterkeeper Alliance, she is also an expert on regenerative farming and ranching and is the author of two books on the subject: Righteous Pork Chops (2009) and Defending Beef (2014). She and her husband, Bill Niman, run a beef operation in Bolinas, California. Her work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. two decades ago centered on ranch and farmland regeneration — a cause she remains passionate about. “Healthy soil means healthy food and healthy communities.”
Her community involvement runs deep. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she was elected to two terms on the City Council, she now lives within District 2. She has also served as a lay leader at her church for 19 years and a member of her local school board for five years. She and Bill have two teenage children.
Niman is concerned about efforts to defund science and is equally vocal about the need for affordable health care. “We cannot continue on the path we are now on,” she said. Though she has worked alongside RFK Jr., she parts ways with him on at least one issue: “Most vaccines are safe.”
She contends that policymakers are failing to account for the full impact of their decisions on rural communities — including tax burdens and cost-of-living pressures that urban residents don’t experience to the same degree. “How do we make it affordable to live here? I want to work on making it economical and affordable to live here and own your own home,” she said. Excessive regulations, she argues, are making that goal increasingly difficult.
On Congress itself, she is candid. “The U.S. Congress is dysfunctional right now. We need to do more in this commitment to bring more economic vitality and to help bring more than just tourism to this area for sustainability.” She acknowledges she is still learning the full scope of what a member of Congress can do for a district, but frames that as a strength rather than a weakness.
Running without the backing of either major party, Niman sees her independence as an asset. “Political leadership needs to be more unified than divided,” she said. “I will make history being an independent making it into Congress because there is no funding like with other parties.” Without being beholden to either side, she argues, she is uniquely positioned to find and pursue real solutions for the district’s most pressing needs.
