Democrat Eric Jones Set Up for Runoff Battle Against Longtime Napa Valley Congressman

He said the results show that voters want change. 

“Americans are suffering, we’ve never seen so much inequality in our country,” he said. “And our government, whether it’s in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., just ain’t focused on the problems that are plaguing everyday Americans.”

His campaign remained optimistic the whole time, banking on later ballots skewing more progressive. Republicans voted by mail earlier than Democrats, boosting Riehle in early vote counts.

“All those late absentee votes typically are younger, much more Democratic and working-class people of color who fit our base much more,” said Brian Parvizshahi, Jones’ campaign manager.

Jones was part of a wave of younger Democrats taking on some of the party’s longest-serving members of Congress. For the most part, incumbents held their own.

Democratic challengers to 81-year-old Rep. John Garamendi in Solano and Contra Costa counties, as well as 71-year-old Rep. Brad Sherman and 87-year-old Rep. Maxine Waters, both in the Los Angeles area, did not make it into the general election.

Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang was the only generational change candidate to outperform the incumbent, Rep. Doris Matsui, in the primary.

Jones put up the most serious challenge that Thompson has faced in years, but he remains 19 percentage points behind the incumbent, with 98% of ballots counted. Still, his campaign sees a path to victory in November.

“The general electorate is a completely different electorate. It’s much more diverse, it’s much younger, and it’s voters who live with the day-to-day realities of this country … and the hardships that are facing everyone,” Jones said. “That’s dramatically different from the primary voter base. So we feel very good about our message resonating with the general electorate.” Like Thompson, Jones focused his campaign messaging on affordability, but he ran on a progressive platform, calling for universal childcare, a $10,000 working-class tax refund, Medicare for All and expanded coverage for in-home nursing, dental, vision and hearing care.

“Our entire campaign from day one has been about change,” Jones said. “It’s been about fighting for a new order in politics in our country and getting money out of politics and fighting for something better.”

He has also pledged not to accept any corporate PAC money and wants to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.

“The core of my platform is forcing corporations to actually follow the tax code we have on the books, closing corporate loopholes, and using that money to fund a tax cut for the working class in this country,” said Jones, who has the endorsement of Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Thompson easily cinched the first-place spot on election night. A Vietnam War veteran, Thompson is a moderate Democrat who has served 14 terms in Congress with broad establishment support, including endorsements from Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Adam Schiff and the state Democratic Party.

Thompson has countered the generational argument of his opponent, noting his endorsements from youth voter groups such as Sacramento County Young Democrats and UC Davis College Democrats.

“I think every generation has something to offer, and there are younger people coming into Congress, but you can’t have an entire Congress of brand new people,” Thompson said. “It’s important to have people who can provide advice and share knowledge with the younger members who are coming in.”

One of Thompson’s signature issues is gun reform, and he chairs the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He’s also championed the wine industry as a vineyard owner and co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus.

Jones’ campaign manager Parvizshahi previously ran Rep. Ro Khanna’s 2014 and 2016 campaigns against Rep. Mike Honda. In 2014, Khanna gained 17 points between the primary and general election. He lost, but returned to defeat Honda in 2016.

Parvizshahi believes Jones could follow a similar trajectory, arguing that in addition to an expanded general electorate, the longer runway to November also offers time to build name recognition.

Thompson usually wins close to two-thirds of the vote in the general election, but in this month’s primary he has received only 41% of votes so far.

“It’s never good for an incumbent to be under 50%,” Parvizshahi said.

Christian Grose, a political science professor at the University of Southern California, agreed the results may be a sign of voter dissatisfaction with the incumbent.

“Thompson’s not doing that great, right? If that many people have decided to vote against the incumbent. So that’s a weakness potentially,” Grose said. “But also you can’t assume Republicans will vote for the other Democrat if it’s a D versus D race. They might just sit it out.”

Redistricting could work in Jones’ favor. After voters approved Proposition 50 last year, redrawing the state’s congressional maps, 47% of District 4 is new territory — weakening the powerful role of incumbency name recognition for Thompson.

However, the new District 4 map brought in more conservative, rural regions of the state, including all of Colusa, Yuba and Sutter counties and parts of Placer and Sacramento counties, while dropping much of its more Democratic territory in Sonoma and Lake counties.

Whether those voters back a progressive like Jones over a moderate Democrat like Thompson is an open question.