Democrat Eric Jones is projected to win California’s 4th Congressional District, defeating fellow Democrat Rep. Mike Thompson in a contest between a first-time candidate and a longtime incumbent. Decision Desk HQ called the race Thursday, Nov. 12, after it had remained unresolved since Election Day. Jones was ahead by more than 4 percentage points.
Jones, a 35-year-old businessman who had never previously run for office, campaigned on combating corruption and reducing costs. He also emphasized his personal background, describing a path from growing up poor to attending Yale University with a scholarship. His victory removes Thompson, 75, who has served 14 terms in the House.
The result reflects the broader push for generational change within the Democratic Party. Although Jones and Thompson faced each other in a general election, their contest resembled Democratic primary battles elsewhere in the country this year, with a challenger seeking to displace an established member of Congress.
California’s election rules made the contest between two Democrats possible. Under the state’s top-two primary system, the two candidates with the largest vote totals move on to the general election without regard to party affiliation. In the 4th District, that process left voters choosing between Jones and Thompson for the House seat.
Thompson is the only incumbent House Democrat to lose in this cycle’s general election. Republicans captured three seats previously held by Democrats, but each was open rather than being defended by an incumbent. Two of those Republican gains came as a result of mid-decade redistricting.
Democratic incumbents also faced challenges earlier in the election cycle. Seven House Democrats failed to secure renomination, with some losing to Democratic socialist opponents. Other incumbents held on only narrowly, providing further context for the challenge Thompson faced from within his own party.
The Napa-area 4th District in Northern California had its boundaries changed before the midterms through a voter-backed redistricting effort responding to Republican redistricting in Texas. The changes shifted territory to the neighboring 1st Congressional District and made the 4th less Democratic, although it remained solidly blue.
Democrats won all five California seats they had sought to flip through the redistricting effort. Those gains included the 1st District, where Democrat Mike McGuire defeated Republican Rep. James Gallagher. In the 4th, Jones’s projected victory changes the district’s representative while keeping the seat in Democratic hands.
