LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The two men who represent Lake County in the US House of Representatives were reelected with wide margins on Tuesday.
Congressman John Garamendi, a Democrat representing the Third Congressional District, and Mike Thompson, a Democrat representing the Fifth Congressional District, won new two-year terms in the general election.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that, with 563 precincts partially reporting as of 2 a.m. Wednesday, Garamendi was leading Republican challenger Tamika Hamilton with 123,527 ballots to 89,220 ballots, or 58.1 to 41.9 percent.
Thompson led his Republican challenger, Scott Giblin, 193,191 to 52,493 votes, or 78.6 percent to 21.4 percent, with 821 precincts partially reporting.
Garamendi thanked voters for their support. “This victory gives us an opportunity to continue the critically important work that’s before us,” he said in a Tuesday night statement.
“The national election has exposed the reality of a deeply divided nation in remarkably stark terms. This is not new to America. Our history is filled with periods of conflict, but America always moves toward a ‘More Perfect Union.’ President Lincoln Charged Americans to ‘bind up the Nation’s wounds’ in his second inaugural address. After years of division, we must heal similar wounds today,” Garamendi said.
“The pain our nation has endured from the COVID-19 pandemic has reached new heights in recent weeks as cases and deaths are both on the rise. The American people deserve a new round of stimulus checks, our hospitals require additional PPE and supplies, and our schools need resources to safely welcome back their students. Senate GOP leadership has blocked several Democratic bills to address these issues, but I have newfound hope and optimism that tonight’s strong show of support for Democrats throughout the country will provide the votes that are needed to pass these bills and provide relief for the American people,” he continued.
Garamendi said policies must be enacted to address the climate crisis and create millions of good-paying middle-class manufacturing jobs in the clean energy sector.
He also emphasized the need to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure using American materials and workers, pledged to continue to advance his “Make it in America” and “Buy American” agendas to achieve this goal, promised to ensure that the nation’s policies promote the production of safe, affordable food for the district and communities around the world, and said he also will fight to ensure the region's water is protected and that there are investments in new storage infrastructure like the off-stream Sites Reservoir Project.
Thompson said he is “humbled and honored” to have earned the trust of the district to represent the community in Congress.
“Serving the place where I was born, grew up and raised my family is the greatest honor of my life. Know that I will work tirelessly in the upcoming Congress to ensure our district is the best place in the nation to raise a family, start a business and retire with dignity,” he said in a Tuesday night statement.
“Our district is facing many challenges, between the pandemic that has changed the way we live our lives and a devastating fire season that has destroyed so many homes and businesses. I know we can rise to meet this tough time. I will continue working to pass another Coronavirus relief package so we can support our local working families and small businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic and need help. I’ll also continue working to bring back every Federal dollar and resource to help our district recover from the LNU Lightning Complex and Glass fires. I know we can get through this by working together,” he said.
“This was the most important election of my lifetime, one that will have consequences for decades to come. I am awed at the way that people in our district and across our nation turned out to vote and worked to help their friends and neighbors get out to vote. This spirit of civic service is one that we must all work to bring to our daily lives,” he said.
Thompson added, “As the results continue to come in, I encourage you to remain patient, to listen to the election officials who finalize these races, and to always check the source of information on which you rely. Whatever the results bring, know that I will continue fighting hard for our district and accomplishing the things that will move us forward.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lake County’s members of Congress reelected
- Elizabeth Larson
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