NAPA, Calif. — Eric Jones has defeated longtime Democratic Congressman Mike Thompson in California’s 4th Congressional District, bringing an end to nearly three decades of representation by the 14-term incumbent in one of Northern California’s most closely watched congressional races.
The Associated Press called the race Friday, Nov. 13, with Jones leading Thompson 52.5% to 47.5% with 95% of the vote counted, according to Jones’ campaign.
Thompson acknowledged his defeat Friday in a lengthy statement reflecting on his accomplishments in Congress, thanking his supporters and pledging to continue serving the district through the end of his term.
“I’m proud of my service. While these results are neither what my team and I worked for nor hoped for, I’m grateful to the hundreds of local elected officials and community leaders who supported our campaign and every volunteer who put up a sign, collected petition signatures, made phone calls, knocked on doors, and talked to their neighbors,” Thompson said.
Jones, who campaigned on lowering the cost of living, addressing the housing crisis and reducing the influence of money in politics, characterized his victory as a mandate for a new generation of leadership.
“The people of CA-04 have made their voices heard. This victory does not belong to me. It belongs to every family that opened their door, every volunteer who made one more call, and every voter across all nine counties who decided that government has to work for them. I will spend every day in Congress making sure it does,” Jones said.
Jones’ victory represents a significant political upset in a district Thompson has represented since 1999. Thompson had established himself as a prominent congressional Democrat with a long record on environmental protection, agriculture, gun violence prevention and disaster recovery.
According to the Jones campaign, the challenger built an extensive grassroots operation, knocking on more than 550,000 doors and holding more than 200 town halls across the nine-county district stretching from Napa to Yuba County.
Jones argued throughout the campaign that the district needed a representative more directly focused on the economic pressures facing working families.
“The people of this district are dealing with utility bills that have doubled. They are facing healthcare costs that are crushing them, and they are being priced out of the communities they grew up in. They have been told to wait long enough. I am going to Washington to lower those bills, expand Medicare, and build housing that working people can actually afford. I take no corporate PAC money, no special interest money, and no foreign money. I answer to the people of CA-04,” Jones said.
The campaign emphasized its reliance on grassroots organizing rather than corporate political action committee contributions.
“From day one, this campaign was built from the ground up by people, not PACs,” said Brian Parvizshahi, Jones’ campaign manager. “It was built on the belief that one person can change their community, their state, and ultimately their country. Nobody handed us this district. We earned it one conversation at a time, and the people of CA-04 have spoken. I could not be prouder of this team, or prouder to have worked for a candidate who never once forgot who he was fighting for.”
Thompson, meanwhile, used his concession statement to recount major legislative and policy accomplishments spanning his congressional career.
He highlighted his work on climate change legislation, gun violence prevention, wildfire recovery, environmental conservation and support for Northern California agriculture.
“As our country grappled with the growing impacts of climate change, I worked with local and national leaders to write and enact the largest investment in combating climate change in U.S. history,” Thompson said. “My landmark renewable energy policies helped drive down energy costs, generated $400 billion in U.S. investments, and created 400,000 jobs.”
Thompson also pointed to his leadership of the congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and his role in passing federal gun safety legislation.
“At the height of our gun violence epidemic, I was tasked with chairing the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, where I helped write and pass the most significant gun violence prevention reform signed into law in decades,” he said.
Thompson cited his efforts to secure $99 million in wildfire recovery assistance and legislation providing $500 million in tax relief for wildfire survivors.
He also highlighted legislation preserving more than 273,000 acres of Northern California wilderness, expanding protections for the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and protecting wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Agriculture was another major focus of Thompson’s statement, reflecting the importance of farming and wine production throughout the district.
Thompson cited federal support for rice growers, efforts to protect winegrapes from wildfire smoke damage, agricultural pest prevention and crop insurance programs.
He also recalled his involvement in protests over federal water diversions that contributed to a massive salmon die-off in the Klamath River.
“When Washington diverted water killing 80,000 spawning salmon in the Klamath River, we captured national headlines by dropping 500 pounds of dead salmon on the steps of the U.S. Department of the Interior,” Thompson said. “Our protest led to the waterflow restoration and salmon are again spawning in the Klamath.”
Jones thanked his family, campaign staff and volunteers for their role in the victory.
“I want to thank my wife Rachel, who has been my partner in every sense of the word through this campaign. And I want to thank Owen and Margot, who are the reason I got into this race and the reason I will never stop fighting for the American Dream,” Jones said.
Thompson closed his concession by reflecting on his lifelong connection to the region and his years of public service.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve the community where I was born, grew up, and still live today. I look forward to continuing to serve our community through the end of my term and beyond,” Thompson said.
