Rep. Mike Thompson, a Napa County fixture in Congress since 1998, is in the toughest race of his career. Political newcomer Eric Jones led him 51.5% to 48.5% in early returns in California's 4th Congressional District, ABC7 News reported Thursday morning.
The Press Democrat reported that after a 4 a.m. Wednesday update from Lake County, Jones led by 4,258 votes out of close to 120,000 counted. Most of the district's ballots had not yet been tallied. In 14 previous House races, Thompson never got less than 61% in a general election, the paper said.The geography is stark. Thompson led by 19.7 points in Napa County, 9.8 in Sonoma and 12.2 in Yolo, according to The Press Democrat, while Jones led by 24 to 39 points in Sacramento Valley counties. The district, redrawn under Proposition 50, now covers Napa, Colusa, Sutter and Yuba counties and parts of Sonoma, Lake, Yolo, Sacramento and Placer counties, the Napa Valley Register reported.
Jones largely self-funded his campaign. ABC7 said his campaign had more than $18 million in receipts, much of it his own money. "They spent $30 million going negative on me," Thompson told the Register on election night. Jones said in a statement that he was confident outstanding ballots would "move in our direction." "We'll find out," Thompson said.
Vote counts cited here are unofficial. Bay Area counties are still processing mail and provisional ballots, and results are not certified until later this month, so margins can change.