The Abridged version:
- Rep. Mike Thompson trails challenger Eric Jones in the race to represent the 4th Congressional District after 36% of the votes.
- Jones, a Democrat and political newcomer, challenged longtime member of Congress and fellow Democrat Thompson.
- Their intergenerational conflict echoes elections across the country, though Jones has not necessarily pitched himself as the more progressive candidate.
Longtime Rep. Mike Thompson narrowly trailed challenger Eric Jones following the latest update of election night.
By the end of Election Day, Jones had 51.7% of the vote while Thompson had 48.3%. Roughly 38% of ballots had been counted across the 4th Congressional District’s nine counties.
Thompson, a Democrat, has represented a stretch of Yolo, Napa and Lake counties at the federal level for 14 terms. Following last year’s passage of Proposition 50, the 4th District grew to encompass all or parts of nine counties, including Yolo, Sacramento and Placer counties.
Jones, a fellow Democrat and political newcomer, is challenging the longtime representative and has criticized Thompson for being ineffective and spending too many years in office.
The intergenerational contest is playing out in elections across the country. In many races, young, left-wing challengers are taking on Democratic incumbents decades their senior.
Jones is a former venture capitalist and multimillionaire living in Napa. He does not claim to be a progressive or Democratic Socialist, according to his website, instead referring to himself as the “anti-establishment candidate.”
Thompson racked up endorsements from well-known public officials, including California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff. He also had the backing of local figures like Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Garth Lewis.
Thompson took first in the June primary, in front of Jones by almost 20 percentage points.
Jones came narrowly in second, a point and a half ahead of Citrus Heights Republican Ray Riehle — who in August, encouraged GOP voters to back Jones.
