Re-elect Mike Thompson to keep CA-05 on the right track.

About the Position
The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives. There is no term limit for this position.  

About the District
California’s 5th Congressional District is centered in Napa County, and includes portions of Contra Costa, Lake, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Democrats have held this district since the special election of 1949, with Incumbent Thompson representing CA-05 since 2013. In the 2016 presidential election, 69.2 percent of CA-05 voters cast their ballot for Hillary Clinton, 24.3 percent for Donald Trump, and 6.6 percent for third-party candidates. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, an overwhelming 70 percent of CA-05 voted for Gavin Newsom and 30 percent for the Republican candidate. Of those who voted in the 2020 presidential primary, 79.6 percent of CA-05 voters cast their ballot for a Democratic candidate, and 20.4 percent opted for a Republican candidate.

About the Race
In the primary, Democrat Incumbent Representative Mike Thompson led Republican challenger Scott Giblin by a margin of 43 percent. Rep. Thompson’s campaign has accepted at least $187,500 (as of July 27, 2020) from corporate PACs and $7,000 from Edison International PAC and PowerPAC of Edison Electric Institute, a large fossil fuel company that emits 62.9 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Giblin’s campaign has not yet submitted any receipts for contributions.

About the Candidate
Rep. Thompson is from St. Helena, CA. He received his BA and MA at CSU Chico and is a Purple Heart veteran who served in Vietnam. He was elected to the California State Senate and served as the chair of the Senate Budget Committee. In 1999, Rep. Thompson was elected as congressmember to California’s 1st District and then again in 2013 to California’s 5th District. According to campaign materials, Rep. Thompson is running for re-election to protect Social Security and Medicare, fight climate change, and bring living wage jobs to CA-05.

Rep. Thompson’s priorities for CA-05 this year have included fiscal responsibility, creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, protecting seniors and veterans, increasing access to health care, and preserving the environment for future generations. He currently sits on the Committee on Ways and Means. This year, Rep. Thompson has voted 100 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi and 94 percent of the time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. One significant piece of legislation that Rep. Thompson voted for and AOC voted against was H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On July 21, 2020, Rep. Thompson also voted against the Progressive Caucus on H.R. 6395, the Pocan Amendment, which would have cut all Pentagon funds and accounts by 10 percent for the next fiscal year. This year, Rep. Thompson has sponsored 44 bills about a wide variety of topics, including taxation, health, national security, commerce, and crime and law enforcement. None of Rep. Thompson’s bills this session have become law yet, and only one has passed both chambers: H.R. 925, America’s Conservation Enhancement Act. As of August 21st, 2020, Rep. Thompson has still yet to cosponsor H.R. 40 which would begin the formal process of studying the case for reparations to Black Americans, despite saying that he has been a lifelong proponent for social justice.

Rep. Thompson is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups and elected officials in the district, such as California Democratic Party, Contra Costa Young Democrats, and Progressive Women of Napa Valley. His more problematic endorsements include Peace Officers Research Association of California, Lakeport Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen, and the sheriffs from Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, an organization of moderate Democrats that focuses on promoting conservative fiscalism. However, the threat of Republican challenger and avid Trump supporter Giblin’s potential policies greatly outweighs Rep. Thompson’s police endorsements and moderate legislation. According to our analysis, Rep. Thompson is the strongest choice for representative leadership in office.