Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael ran away with first place in Tuesday’s primary election for the new 2nd District congressional seat, but there remains some uncertainty about who Huffman will face in the November general election.

Huffman has 37.3 percent of the vote and Tiburon investment adviser Dan Roberts, the only Republican in the 12-candidate race, holds second place with a 15.3 percent share.

But West Marin progressive activist and author Norman Solomon, who is in third place with 14.2 percent of vote, isn’t conceding. He points out that tens of thousands of vote-by-mail and provisional ballots remain to be counted in the five counties that make up the newly drawn 2nd district.

“We’re not awaiting a recount; we’re awaiting a full count,” Solomon said. “There is a tendency to want to say we know what happened, and the fact is we don’t. This is wide open.”

Due to California’s new open primary system, which became effective this election, the top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s primary election will go on to compete in November, regardless of party affiliation.

The sprawling new 2nd district, a product of California’s statewide redistricting, consists of Marin, parts of Sonoma County and rural Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity and Del Norte counties. Marin County Registrar of Voters Elaine Ginnold estimated that there are 20,000 to 25,000 vote-by-mail and provisional ballots still to count in Marin alone. Ginnold said she expects to have the ballots counted by June 15.

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