The fourth congressional district primary is shaping up to be a clash of philosophies on how to fix rural California’s most pressing crises. On June 2, voters across Napa, Sutter, Yuba, and portions of Yolo, Lake, Placer, and Sacramento Counties will choose between four candidates with sharply different answers to the same brutal questions: How do you keep farms afloat when fuel and fertilizer prices are crushing margins? How do you make housing affordable when construction costs and insurance premiums have spiraled out of control?
Mike Thompson, the Democratic incumbent who’s held the seat since 1998, is leaning on his position as ranking member of the tax policy subcommittee on the House Ways and Means Committee. He’s framed the problem in terms of federal overreach—blaming the current administration’s chaotic tariff strategy for destabilizing agricultural markets and spiking grocery prices. As a farmer himself, Thompson argues he understands the sector firsthand. On housing, he’s pointing to his track record: disaster housing relief legislation that produced roughly 1,600 new units in the district alone. His playbook relies on tax code adjustments and federal programs that work within the existing system.
Ray Riehle, the Republican small business owner and Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce board member, is pitching a longer horizon. He wants guest worker programs revisited, adequate water and energy access, and regulatory relief that lowers the cost of breaking ground on a home—currently $150,000 just to start building, by his count. Riehle frames these as 25-to-50-year solutions, not quick fixes. He’s also emphasizing debt reduction as a prerequisite for any real economic stability.
Eric Jones, a Democrat with corporate and nonprofit experience, is running on a tighter, more direct platform. His three pillars—Medicare expansion covering vision, dental, hearing aids, and generic drugs; free childcare for working families; and a $10,000 tax credit for anyone earning under $150,000—are designed as immediate relief. On housing, Jones is targeting price gouging and food insecurity, flagging a gap in state subsidies and an absurdity in California’s college funding: students become ineligible for CalFresh and SNAP benefits simply because they’re enrolled. It’s a systems-level critique dressed in practical policy.
Republican John MacKenzie, a military veteran and healthcare professional, didn’t return requests for an interview.
What’s striking about this race isn’t disagreement on the problems—all three responding candidates acknowledge the ag crisis, the housing squeeze, and inflation’s bite. It’s the diagnosis that splits them. Thompson blames federal chaos and tariff whiplash. Riehle sees a resource and regulatory problem that needs patient, structural fixes. Jones sees means-tested relief and filling coverage gaps as the faster path. For farm country voters wrestling with real decisions about whether to stay or sell, the distinction matters enormously.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
