A rematch is underway for California’s 8th Congressional District as eight-term Democrat John Garamendi faces Republican Rudy Recile, a former U.S. Army major and former Department of Agriculture employee.

Candidates are vying to represent residents of Contra Costa and Solano counties, including the cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Richmond and parts of Martinez.

Garamendi, 79, enjoyed a political career spanning nearly five decades, beginning with his election to the California State Legislature in 1974. He went on to serve four terms in the state Senate, two nonconsecutive terms as California Insurance Commissioner and was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Interior by President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Two years after being elected lieutenant governor in 2007, Garamendi won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he currently represents voters in Contra Costa and Solano counties. He co-sponsored 66 bills into law and was a vocal advocate for strengthening environmental protections, affordable health care and American manufacturing.