Democrat Eric Jones on Friday advanced to the November ballot in a Northern California congressional district, where he will face fellow Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson in the latest generational battle within the party.
Jones, a 35-year-old former venture capitalist, took the second slot in California’s top-two, nonpartisan June 2 primary for the state’s 4th Congressional District. Thompson was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 after serving as a state lawmaker.
Having two Democrats on the ballot will ensure that the district, which includes the Napa-Sonoma wine country and stretches across a wide swath of Northern California north of the state capital, will remain in Democratic hands.
The race becomes the second generational challenge against a California U.S. House Democrat. Rep. Doris Matsui, 81, replaced her late husband in the House when he died in 2005. She is facing a challenge from 41-year-old Sacramento City Councilwoman Mai Vang.
In Los Angeles, 15-term Rep. Brad Sherman successfully fended off a younger Democratic challenger who did not advance to the November ballot because he failed to make the top two. Younger Democrats across the country have challenged older incumbents in the wake of former President Joe Biden’s term.
California’s House primaries were dominated by suspense over whether Democrats would be able to capitalize on their redraw of the House map to potentially pick up five additional seats in November. Democrats redrew the California map to counter Republican redistricting gains in Texas and other red states. Democrats were able to avoid getting locked out of any of the newly attainable seats.
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