Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · California's 4th District

2 candidates on the ballot.¹

How this race is decided: Under California's top-two system, only the two candidates who received the most votes in the June 2, 2026, primary, regardless of party preference, appear on this general-election ballot.^1,2

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Eric Jones

Democratic · Challenger

Mike Thompson

Democratic · Incumbent

Currently represents California's 4th District in the U.S. House.

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Fact	Eric Jones	Mike Thompson
Party on the ballot	Democratic¹	Democratic¹
Status	Challenger	Incumbent³
Raised	$18,058,057 through October 14, 2026⁴	$5,482,944 through October 14, 2026⁵
Cash on hand	$1,541,079⁴	$1,401,440⁵
Outside spending	$1,254,089 for · $2,325,000 against⁶	$2,798,547 for · $3,558,966 against⁷
Farm payments and crop insurance	His campaign website says farm subsidies should be shifted toward small and mid-sized family farms, that farm bill support for specialty crops such as fruits, nuts, vegetables and wine grapes should match their share of the value of U.S. agriculture, and that federal crop insurance should be reworked to fit those crops.^8,9	His campaign website lists among his accomplishments writing the law that created the Emergency Relief Program, which it says provided $10 billion to help farmers recover from wildfires, droughts and other disasters.¹⁰
Visas for farmworkers	His campaign website says the H-2A farmworker visa program should not be expanded until worker housing and wage concerns are resolved, and should then be extended to year-round farm work and made faster for growers.^11,12	His campaign website says he supports creating workable guest worker programs for agricultural workers.¹³
Tariffs	His campaign website says trade leverage is sometimes necessary, but that before any broad trade action the government should publicly assess, crop by crop and region by region, how exposed farmers are to retaliation, and that relief for retaliation should fit orchards and other permanent crops.¹⁴	His campaign website says he has opposed the administration's trade war, which it says has cost the average California family about $1,900, and that his Illegal Tariff Refund Act would return money collected through unlawful tariffs to households.^10,15
Military spending	His campaign website says the Pentagon's budget growth should be frozen until it passes an audit, and calls for ending U.S. funding of unnecessary foreign wars.^12,16	His campaign website says defense spending should be on the table when reviewing the budget, and that the strongest national defense does not have to be the most expensive.¹⁷
Federal Medicaid funding	His campaign website says he will protect Medicaid.¹²	His campaign website says he continues to fight health care cuts in a recent law that it says takes health coverage away from 15 million Americans.¹⁸
Zoning and new housing	Give extra state or federal money to communities that allow more homes His campaign website says he would tie more federal money for states and cities to results, rewarding communities that legalize more housing and shorten permitting, and would cut federal red tape on building.¹⁹	His campaign website lists among his accomplishments voting for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which it says is meant to increase the supply of affordable housing, streamline construction, modernize federal housing programs, expand paths to homeownership and help renters.¹⁰
Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers	His campaign website calls for securing the border first and then creating an earned path to legal status for people who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years.¹²	A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks His campaign website calls for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for families who have been in the country for generations and protections for Dreamers.^13,20
Medicare coverage of new tests and services	Add more services by law, such as permanent telehealth from home and testing and treatment by pharmacists His campaign website says he would create a Medicare benefit for regular in-home nursing visits for everyone starting at age 65.^11,12,21	Add more services by law, such as permanent telehealth from home and testing and treatment by pharmacists His campaign website says he continues to lead efforts to make telehealth services permanent and expand them.¹⁸
Medicare drug price negotiation	Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance His campaign website says he would expand Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices to every drug, not just a handful, and make generic prescription drugs free for everyone.^11,12,22	His campaign website says he helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act provision allowing the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.¹⁸
Targeted tax breaks for individuals and families	Add or expand breaks for costs such as education savings, adoption and selling a home His campaign website says rent should be tax-deductible, with a cap, as mortgage interest is for homeowners.^11,12,23	His campaign website lists among his accomplishments passing $500 million in tax relief so that wildfire survivors who received settlements for the loss of their homes no longer owe federal tax on those payments.¹⁰

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Eric Jones — 22 issues

Foreign ownership of farmland
His campaign website says he would work to limit corporate and foreign purchases of farmland and give local farmers the first chance to buy land that comes up for sale.¹²
Union organizing rules
His campaign website says he supports union labor and every worker's right to organize.¹²
Campaign finance rules
Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
His campaign website calls for overturning Citizens United, banning money from corporations, special interests and lobbyists in politics, and fully disclosing all political spending.²⁴
Drawing district lines (redistricting)
Have independent commissions, not lawmakers, draw district lines
His campaign website calls for independent redistricting commissions in every state, including California, and a ban on mid-decade redistricting.^12,24
Stock trading by members of Congress
Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
His campaign website says members of Congress should be banned from trading stocks while in office, and that the ban should also cover their spouses and dependent children.^12,24
Term limits for Congress
Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber
His campaign website says he supports 12-year term limits for every member of Congress, would cosponsor a constitutional amendment for them, and has signed a 12-year pledge himself.^12,24
Data centers and electricity costs
Pause or limit new data centers
His campaign website says he supports a moratorium on new data centers in California until there are national standards requiring on-site clean power and strict water limits.^12,16
Who decides on military action
Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
His campaign website says there should be no new wars without a vote of Congress and no military aid to any country without an up-or-down vote in Congress, with conditions on all aid.^12,16
Drug prices compared with other countries
His campaign website says he would use the size of the U.S. market to force fairer global drug pricing, so that a company selling a drug for less in Europe cannot charge American families far more for it.²²
Health insurance system
One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
His campaign website says he supports Medicare for All as the goal, done in a way that is fully paid for.¹²
Help for first-time homebuyers
His campaign website proposes zero-down, fixed-rate mortgages and a tax credit for first-time homebuyers, along with a goal of building 2 million homes a year.^11,12
Immigration enforcement inside the country
His campaign website says violent criminals and people who prey on children should be removed immediately, that immigration enforcement should return to the Justice Department, and that ICE should be held accountable.¹²
Income tax on Social Security benefits
His campaign website says people who live mainly on Social Security should stop being taxed on it, noting that the income thresholds have not been updated since 1984.^12,16
Medicare dental, vision and hearing coverage
Add dental, vision and hearing coverage to traditional Medicare
His campaign website says Medicare should be expanded to cover dental care, vision and hearing aids.^11,12
Social Security benefit levels
His campaign website says he will not vote to cut earned Social Security benefits or change the retirement age for people at or near retirement, and would base yearly cost-of-living raises on a measure weighted to what seniors buy.^12,16
Balanced budget amendment
Add a balanced budget requirement to the Constitution
His campaign website calls for a balanced budget amendment in both Washington and Sacramento and a rule that every new program come with a way to pay for it.¹⁶
Corporate tax rate
Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
His campaign website calls for restoring what it calls fair corporate tax rates and closing loopholes that let large companies pay no tax.^11,24
Federal income tax rates
His campaign website says he would end federal income tax on the first $150,000 a person earns, paid for by collecting taxes corporations owe and cutting fraud and waste.^11,12
Children and social media
Bar children under a set age, such as 16, from having social media accounts, with age checks
His campaign website says children should be kept off addictive social media and AI products until age 16.^12,16
Data privacy
His campaign website calls for privacy standards that give people ownership of their data, and for a moratorium on government use of Flock's license-plate camera network until Congress sets federal rules.^12,16
State AI laws
Set national rules as a minimum and let states add stronger ones
His campaign website says there should be one strong federal framework for AI that sets a floor, with states such as California free to go further.¹²
Private care for veterans
His campaign website says the VA should be strengthened rather than dismantled, with community care filling gaps, an enforceable national standard for travel and wait times, and VA staffing minimums written into law.^12,16

Mike Thompson — 5 issues

Clean energy tax credits
Restore the credits the 2025 law ended or cut back
His campaign website says many clean energy tax provisions were recently ended by law and that he is fighting to restore them.¹⁵
Conservation and development on federal lands
His campaign website lists among his accomplishments helping protect more than 1 million acres of public land in California, including through the designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.¹⁰
Endangered species protections
His campaign website lists among his accomplishments a tax law he wrote and passed that pays farmers who manage their land in ways that help conserve endangered species.¹⁰
Background checks for gun sales
Require checks for private sales at gun shows and online, but not other private sales
His campaign website says he wrote bipartisan legislation requiring criminal background checks for all commercial gun sales, so buyers could not avoid checks by going online or to a gun show, while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.²⁵
Federal spending levels
His campaign website says the debt should be reduced through a balanced approach of cutting spending, having everyone pay their fair share and growing the economy, and that he has fought for pay-as-you-go budget rules.¹⁷

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

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