Mike Thompson
Official portrait, 2019
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Frank Riggs
Constituency	1st district (1999–2013) 5th district (2013–2023) 4th district (2023–present)
Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the2nd district
In office May 20, 1993 – November 30, 1998
Preceded by	Barry Keene
Succeeded by	Wesley Chesbro
Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the4th district
In office December 3, 1990 – May 20, 1993
Preceded by	Jim Nielsen
Succeeded by	Maurice Johannessen
Personal details
Born	Charles Michael Thompson (1951-01-24)January 24, 1951 (age 74) St. Helena, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jan Thompson
Children	2
Education	Napa Valley College (attended) California State University, Chico (BA,MPA)
Signature
Website	House website Campaign website
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1967–1973[1]
Rank	Staff Sergeant[1]
Unit	173rd Airborne Brigade
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Purple Heart[1]
Thompson's voice Thompson on the America Gives More Act of 2014. Recorded July 17, 2014

Charles Michael Thompson (born January 24, 1951)^[2] is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forCalifornia's 4th congressional district (known as the 1st congressional district until 2013, and theCalifornia's 5th congressional district until 2023) since 1999. The district, in the outer northern portion of theSan Francisco Bay Area, includes all ofLake andNapa counties and parts ofContra Costa,Solano,Yolo andSonoma counties. Thompson chairs the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.^[3] He is a member of theDemocratic Party.

Thompson was born inSt. Helena, California, the son of Beverly Ann (née Forni) and Charles Edward Thompson. His father was of English ancestry and his mother was of Italian and Swiss descent.^[4] He was educated atCalifornia State University, Chico, served inVietnam with theUnited States Army's173rd Airborne Brigade,^[5] was avineyard owner and maintenance supervisor, taughtPublic Administration andState Government atSan Francisco State University andCalifornia State University, Chico, and was a member of theCalifornia State Senate before entering the House.^[2]

Thompson served as an aide toJackie Speier (then astate assemblywoman) before winning election to theCalifornia State Senate in 1990. He unseated4th District incumbentJim Nielsen after a controversy over Nielsen's primary residence;^[6][7] Thompson's margin of victory was less than 1%.^[8]

After the 1992 general election, State SenatorBarry Keene of the neighboring2nd District resigned. Thompson, whose hometown of St. Helena had shifted from the 4th District into the 2nd afterreapportionment, ran in the 1993special election for Keene's seat. He narrowly beat Republican businesswoman Margie Handley and was elected to a full term in 1994.^[9]

National Democrats approached Thompson about running for Congress in 1996 against freshman RepublicanFrank Riggs.^{[citation needed]} Thompson's state Senate district was virtually coextensive with the congressional district. Thompson declined, believing his Senateseniority would be more beneficial to his district than would his being afreshman U.S. congressman.^{[citation needed]} But in 1998, Thompson was due to be termed out of the state Senate, and opted to run for Congress. Riggs did not seek reelection to his House seat and made an unsuccessful bid for theUnited States Senate.^[10] Thompson was elected by almost a 30% margin^[11] and has been reelected ever since without substantive opposition,^[11] turning what was a swing district for most of the 1980s and '90s into a fairly safe Democratic seat.^{[citation needed]}

For his first seven terms, Thompson represented a district stretching from the far northern part of theSan Francisco Bay Area all the way to theNorth Coast. But after the 2010 census, his district was renumbered as the 5th and made somewhat more compact, losing most of its northern part to the2nd District.^{[citation needed]}

Thompson is a member of the conservativeBlue Dog Coalition.^[12] Nonetheless, as of October 2021 he had voted in line withPresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.^[13] Thompson voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the117th Congress, according to aFiveThirtyEight analysis.^[14]

Thompson is aRoman Catholic,^[2] but ispro-choice. In May 2004, he and 47 other Catholic Democratic members of Congress sent a letter toCardinalTheodore McCarrick ofWashington, D.C., to dissuade him from refusing to administerHoly Communion to Catholic members who voted in favor of pro-choice legislation.^[15] In February 2006, Thompson was one of 55 Democratic U.S. representatives identifying as Catholic who signed a "Statement of Principles" that affirmed a commitment to their faith but acknowledged opposition to Catholic doctrine on some issues. They wrote that on those issues, such asabortion rights, they would follow their conscience instead of thechurch's teachings.^[16] In response, theU.S. Catholic Bishops issued a "Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" that said, in part, "Catholic teaching calls all Catholics to work actively to restrain, restrict and bring to an end the destruction of unborn human life."^[17]

Thompson opposed theoverturning ofRoe v. Wade, calling it "an assault on women."^[18]

In 2015, Thompson proposed tougher penalties formarijuana growers who operate on trespassed land.^[19] TheU.S. Sentencing Commission adopted the tougher sentencing guidelines, which went into effect in November 2015, after a six-month congressional review. The guidelines were intended to increase public safety.^[20]

Thompson voted for PresidentGeorge W. Bush'sHealthy Forests Initiative,^[21] which some environmentalists saw as a favor to the timber industry.^[22] He has disappointed some environmentalists with votes against limits to new commercial logging roads in Alaska'sTongass National Forest^[23] and against limits tohunting bears over bait.^[24][25] He was also one of only 30 Democrats to vote against an amendment to maintain roadless areas protected under theRoadless Rule.^[26] Thompson received a B rating from the American Wilderness Coalition in 2003 and an A+ in 2004.^[27]

TheSierra Club endorsed Thompson for reelection in 2010.^[28]

Thompson has voted several times to weaken theClean Water Act.^[29][30]

In March 2012, Thompson and state AssemblymanJared Huffman voiced their opposition to a piece of water legislation that the House would be voting on, which Thompson argued would "kill local jobs, ignore 20 years of established science and overturn a century of California water law."^[31]

In late 2002, Thompson joined RepresentativesJim McDermott andDavid Bonior on a fact-finding trip toIraq. During the trip, they spoke to officials inBaghdad and residents ofBasra. They expressed skepticism about theGeorge W. Bush administration's claims that Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein was stockpilingweapons of mass destruction.^[32]

On March 26, 2008, Muthanna Al-Hanooti, an official of aMichigancharity, was accused of underwriting three members of Congress to travel toIraq on behalf of Iraqi intelligence officials. McDermott's office was already organizing the trip when the charity offered to pay the trip expenses. McDermott's spokesman claimed the charity was fully vetted by the U.S. government. He also stated that the representatives obtained a license from theState Department'sOffice of Foreign Assets Control for the group to travel to Iraq.^[33]

Thompson has supported military intervention in certain foreign countries.^[34]

Thompson has supported a public option forhealth insurance. In 2009, he wrote, "[b]y streamlining health care, reducing fraud and abuse, ending unnecessary testing, discouraging over-utilization, investing in smart reforms, and emphasizing preventive health care, we can significantly bring down the cost of health care."^[35] In 2010, Thompson voted for theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare).^[36]

For the118th Congress:^[37]

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Tax (Ranking Member)

• Blue Dog Coalition^[38]
• Congressional Wine Caucus (Co-chair)
• Congressional Arts Caucus^[39]
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus^[40]
• Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus^[41]
• Climate Solutions Caucus^[42]
• U.S.-Japan Caucus^[43]

Thompson is married to Janet Thompson. They met at a party inYountville, California. They reside in St. Helena and also maintain a home inWashington, D.C.^[61]

The Thompsons are avid home cooks and cook for fundraisers to benefit local nonprofits, such as for renovations to thePoint Reyes Lighthouse, and Thompson's campaigns. Local Napa Valley wineries often sponsor Thompson's campaigns with lunches, dinners, wine tastings and tours. Thompson is also a longtime volunteer for the Napa Valley wine auction fundraiser.^[61]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMike Thompson.

• Congressman Mike Thompson official U.S. House website
• Mike Thompson for Congress campaign website
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at theLibrary of Congress
• Profile atVote Smart

• 1951 births
• 20th-century members of the California State Legislature
• 21st-century California politicians
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• American people of English descent
• American people of Italian descent
• American people of Swiss descent
• California Democrats
• California State University, Chico alumni
• California State University, Chico faculty
• Democratic Party California state senators
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
• Living people
• People from St. Helena, California
• San Francisco State University faculty
• United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
• United States Army soldiers

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