Democrat · California's 4th District · 2026
Mike Thompson
Thompson grew up in St. Helena and served in Vietnam before returning home to work at Beringer Winery.
Biography
Mike Thompson was Beringer Winery's maintenance supervisor before Congress, and still owns a small vineyard.1 His wife, Janet, is a family nurse practitioner, and their two sons are a firefighter and a deputy sheriff.1 They have three granddaughters.2
The grandson of Italian immigrants, Thompson grew up in St. Helena and left high school to enlist in the Army.2 He served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a staff sergeant and platoon leader, was wounded and received a Purple Heart.2 Using the GI Bill, he became his family's first college graduate and eventually earned a master's in public administration at Chico State.2
Thompson chaired the California Senate's Budget Committee before winning election to Congress in 1998.1 He is now the Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee's top Democrat and serves on its Health Subcommittee.2 He and Jared Huffman helped secure provisions exempting qualified wildfire compensation from federal income tax in legislation President Biden signed in December 2024.3
A hunter and gun owner, Thompson supports expanding background checks for all firearm sales and leads the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.2 His priorities also include clean energy, veterans' health care and abortion rights.2 He faces fellow Democrat Eric Jones in November.4
Record and controversies
Israel aid lawsuit
In December 2024, Northern California taxpayers sued Thompson and Jared Huffman, alleging that their votes to fund Israel's military contributed to genocide in Gaza.5 Thompson's spokesperson said he advocated a negotiated ceasefire, the release of hostages and a Palestinian state alongside Israel.6 On February 10, 2025, the court dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction, holding that it presented a political question the judiciary could not decide.7 The dismissal did not decide the allegations on their merits.7