Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson is the U.S. Representative for California’s 4th Congressional District and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the House in 1998, he has represented various configurations of the North Bay and Wine Country regions, including the 1st and 5th districts, due to decennial redistricting. Born and raised in St. Helena, California, Thompson is a combat veteran who served as a staff sergeant and platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War. He was wounded in action and received the Purple Heart. Following his military service, he utilized the GI Bill to attend Napa Valley College and California State University, Chico, where he earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration. Before his tenure in Congress, Thompson worked as a maintenance supervisor at Beringer Winery and was a small vineyard owner. His political career began in the California State Senate, where he served from 1990 to 1998 and chaired the influential Budget Committee, becoming the first Vietnam veteran elected to that body. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Thompson is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Tax. He is well-known for co-founding the bipartisan Congressional Wine Caucus and for his leadership as the chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Thompson advocates for a single-payer healthcare system, such as Medicare for All, and supports legislation aimed at lowering insurance premiums and expanding access to affordable care. On economic and fiscal policy, he promotes a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes spending cuts, middle-class tax relief, and ensuring large corporations pay a fair share. As a hunter and gun owner, he supports the Second Amendment but leads congressional efforts for gun safety reforms, specifically universal background checks and closing loopholes in the private sale of firearms. His environmental platform emphasizes land conservation, investments in clean energy, and federal action to mitigate climate change. Regarding immigration, Thompson supports comprehensive reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents, guest worker programs for the agricultural sector, and increased oversight of federal immigration enforcement agencies.