NAPA VALLEY, CA — The polls are closed in Napa Valley, and voters will soon know which two candidates survived the crowded contest for governor and the 4th Congressional District.
At 8:50 p.m., the Associated Press has called several U.S. House primaries with a fraction of the votes yet tallied.
They include:
Heading into election day, polls showed Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton leading a crowded field including top contenders Chad Bianco, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, and Antonio Villaraigosa. It’s been a scandal-plagued primary season without a clear frontrunner, dampening voter enthusiasm and early voting turnout on the left.
The outcome of down-ballot primary races also hangs in the balance in Napa Valley. Voters are waiting to find out if Incumbent Rep. Mike Thompson will defend the 4th District Congressional seat against the field of challengers, most notably Eric Jones. That one is still to early to call.
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As of April, the California Secretary of State reported that 23,112,854 Californians were registered to vote, which accounts for almost 84 percent of the state's eligible voting population.
Not surprisingly, there are far more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state, with 45 percent for the former and 25 percent for the latter.
In Napa County, the rate of voter registration is high. As of April, it was nearly 88 percent — with just under 50 percent of voters registered as Democrats, a little over 22 percent as Republicans.
Click here for all County election results. Be sure to refresh this page for the latest.
Voter turnout may be a mixed bag this primary season as voters decided which two candidates will vie in the general election to be the next governor of the Golden State. Top ticket races such the gubernatorial contest usually generate high voter turnout. But that may not be the case this year as the lack of a clear frontrunner appears to have dampened enthusiasm among early voters.
Even Democrats who typically have a high turnout in primary elections — often older, white voters — have been slow to drop off their ballots, said Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns.
“My joke is: Call your Democratic parents and tell them to turn in their ballot,” he said. “They are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor’s race. They’re waiting to make sure they’re making the right choice.”
About 10% of the state's roughly 23 million voters had voted as of Wednesday, according to Mitchell's tracker. That includes about 15% of Republicans, 10% of Democrats and 7% of voters registered with no or another party. That breakdown is unusual because Democrats in recent years have tended to vote early while many Republicans wait until Election Day.
Early results show Democrat Rep. Mike Thompson, who is seeking his 15th term in a nine-candidate field, with 6,829 votes, followed by Republican challenger Ray Riehle training with 2,727 votes. Eric Jones is close behind with 2,340 votes.
Thompson, a Democrat who grew up in St. Helena, first elected to Congress in 1998, entered the race with institutional backing, including an endorsement from the California Democratic Party, and a fundraising lead alongside fellow Democrat Eric Jones.
A former investment executive, Jones, has not held a previous elected office and moved to Napa in 2021. Founder of the American Dream Institute, he has been campaigning on the argument that Democrats must rebuild trust with younger and working-class voters.
Republicans have joined the field with six candidates — In addition to Riehle, Sharon Brown, Mandy Ghusar, Jimih Jones, L. John MacKenzie, and Chuck Uribe — while Thomas Roach registered as independent.
Under California’s top-two system, all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party, and only the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election.
That format has historically produced one Democrat and one Republican in the 4th District, but the combination of redistricting and a split Republican field has fueled speculation two Democrats could emerge in November.
District 4 includes Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Yolo, and Solano counties. The new district boundaries are also altering the electorate Thompson has represented and potentially reshaping alliances, turnout patterns, and campaign strategy.
With no challengers filing before the deadline, two Napa County supervisors appear headed for new four-year terms, preserving the county’s historic all-women board.
Napa County supervisors Joelle Gallagher, representing District 1, and Anne Cottrell, representing District 3, faced no challengers and appear to be on the way to their second four-year terms in January 2027.
Gallagher’s district spans much of the city of Napa, including downtown, while Cottrell’s district covers a broad stretch that includes Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville and Pope Valley. Both won office in 2022 contests and took office in 2023.
There are also five superior court judge seats on the ballot that are so far uncontested:
The last seat is the Napa County superintendent of schools. Joshua Schultz was appointed in July 2025 His full term would begin January 2027.
California voters headed to the polls Tuesday, facing concerns over homelessness, wildfire insurance shortages, budget deficits and soaring housing costs, as a high-profile gubernatorial primary and several competitive congressional races tested the state’s political landscape.
The governor’s race was defined by record spending, scandal and Democratic anxiety over California’s top-two primary system. Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer poured more than $195 million into television, cable and radio advertising — the largest political ad campaign in the nation this year — drawing criticism from opponents who accused him of trying to buy the governorship. Former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra emerged as Steyer’s chief Democratic rival after former Rep. Eric Swalwell ended his campaign amid sexual assault allegations.
Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton, backed by President Donald Trump, also remained a top contender in polling alongside Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, fueling fears among Democrats that a split Democratic vote could allow two Republicans to advance to the November general election. Under California’s election system, the top two finishers advance regardless of party.
Congressional races across California were also under intense scrutiny following voter approval of Proposition 50, a partisan redistricting measure expected to reshape the state’s political map. Democrats are targeting several Republican-held seats as they seek to overturn the GOP’s slim House majority.
One of the most closely watched contests is in Southern California’s 40th District, where longtime Republican Rep. Ken Calvert faces fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim after redistricting combined portions of the Inland Empire and Orange County. The bitter campaign featured both candidates accusing the other of disloyalty to Trump.
In Northern California, the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s former 1st District is expected to favor Democrats after district boundaries shifted west and south, while Sacramento-area District 6 and Central Valley District 22 are also expected to be fiercely contested.
In Southern California’s newly redrawn 48th District, longtime Republican Rep. Darrell Issa opted to retire rather than seek reelection in a district that now leans Democratic. Republican San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond entered the race with Issa’s endorsement but faced a crowded field of Democratic and Republican challengers in a district spanning parts of San Diego and Riverside counties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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