Early Results Show Rep. Mike Thompson in Tight Race With Challenger Eric Jones
Rep. Mike Thompson is locked in a close race with former venture capitalist Eric Jones in the redrawn 4th Congressional District.
Thompson, a 14-term Democrat, is attempting to fight off the most expensive challenge of his career from a political newcomer. He held a narrow lead of a few hundred votes in initial returns, but Jones edged out ahead as of 9:52 p.m. with 50.2% of the vote.
The newly redrawn district stretches from the Napa Valley to the Sacramento suburbs and rural areas in the north.
“It’s gonna be a long night,” Jones told reporters at a campaign event packed with high-energy young people and college students at Sudwerk Brewing in Davis. “We take our elections seriously in California; we count every ballot and take our time, so we expect the numbers to keep looking strong as they come in.”
People watching the results cheered mostly for Democrats, although some Republicans and Independent voters were in attendance, too. The event featured catering and drink tickets, and some of the students said they came for the free food and were not actually registered to vote here.
“Whether it’s tonight or tomorrow, we’re gonna have some fun anyway and talk to folks and talk with everyone who’s been so supportive and make sure that people feel the love,” Jones said.
The two Democrats do not diverge significantly on policy, so the race was defined by money, identity and blistering attack ads.
Jones injected $14.8 million of his own money into the race, setting a record for the most self-funding by a congressional candidate in California history, according to David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University.
Thompson raised about $5.5 million, none of it his own money.
From the beginning, Jones pledged not to accept any corporate PAC money, presenting himself as a candidate not beholden to special interests. Thompson, meanwhile, painted Jones as an outsider trying to buy the seat.
Thompson, 75, is a moderate Democrat backed by establishment figures like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Vietnam War veteran grew up and still lives in St. Helena. He’s also a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Jones, 35, grew up in a working-class Maine family. At times, his family relied on Medicaid, food stamps and his father’s veterans disability checks. Jones moved to Napa in 2021 with his wife after their son was born with a serious heart defect, seeking a slower, quieter life within driving distance of their son’s doctors at UCSF.
Thompson has not sailed through the election with his typical ease. He usually wins close to two-thirds of the vote in the general election. But nearly half of District 4 is new territory after Democrats redrew California’s congressional maps last year. The new lines added conservative parts of the North State once represented by the late Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa. It also cut out bluer regions in Sonoma and Lake counties.
That shift gave Jones an opening. He attempted to carve out support to the left and right of Thompson. He had the endorsement of Our Revolution, the progressive group founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. And after the primary, he ramped up his outreach to Republicans, hiring GOP strategist Rob Stutzman and winning the endorsement of Ray Riehle, the Republican he narrowly defeated in the primary.
At a campaign event in Napa County before the polls closed, Thompson expressed confidence in an interview with KQED about his outreach to new voters, saying he has “approached this redistricting the same way I’ve approached every redistricting I’ve been in.”
“There are 47% of voters who are new,” he said. “I’ve got out, I’ve met folks, I think I’ve been a hundred times up in the new district, I’ve had a couple hundred meetings. And I’ve been called on to help with the peach farmer disaster. I was able to get them $9 million of aid.”
Thompson turned 75 this year, amid a national conversation about older elected officials clinging to their seats. But when asked if he would potentially announce an upcoming retirement date were he to win, the 14-term congressman bristled and said, “Why would you ask me that question?”
“I’m focused on winning the election tonight, and I’m focused on working with the people who elect me, who I’ve worked for consistently,” he said. “I’m not talking about anything else. Let’s get through tonight.”
Less than two weeks before election day, Jones’ campaign released an ad featuring Thompson’s former communications director T.J. Adams-Falconer, who said, “Mike Thompson told me directly he plans to die in office.”
Adams-Falconer worked for the congressman for under six months nearly a decade ago, according to Thompson, who called the claim “fictional.”
Seven former staff members to Thompson also released a letter calling the claim “unsubstantiated” and demanded the campaign take down the ad because it used a photograph of them without their permission.
The dispute captured a defining issue of the race. Amid a wave of anti-establishment sentiment and desire for generational change, young challengers like Jones across the country have taken on their party’s aging incumbents. Nationally, 13 members of Congress lost their primaries, including seven Democrats and six Republicans.
If Jones wins, McCuan said it would be “dramatic in terms of a statement about generational change” given Thompson’s national stature and role in Democratic leadership. He could face a chilly reception from fellow Democrats in the House.
“They’re going to want to penalize him a little bit for taking on a popular incumbent and winning,” he said.
Even if Thompson holds onto his seat, this may not be the last time he faces Jones.
McCuan said the scale of Jones’ spending suggests he could be treating this race as a first attempt, a chance to learn about campaigns and build name recognition in the region.
“If Mike wins, I’m not convinced that Eric goes away,” he said. “When you spend that kind of money, you’re typically a two-tripper.”
Jones seemed to suggest as much at his campaign event, saying, “I’m not going anywhere. We’ve done a lot of great work in the community, and I have a bad habit of staying busy, so more to come on that.”