Mike Thompson, a Democrat, represents California's 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. Before being elected to Congress in 1998, he served in the California Senate, where he chaired the Budget Committee. He has taught public administration and state government at San Francisco State University and California State University at Chico, where he received his master's degree in public administration.
The owner of a small vineyard, Thompson served in combat with the Army in Vietnam, where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart. He was the first Vietnam veteran elected to the California Senate.
