U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, running for re-election to the state’s fifth Congressional District, said he’s been working on issues important to South Solano County and his other constituents, and he’s ready to address the challenges of growing a strong economy and bringing good jobs here.

Thompson, D-Napa, has been in the House since 1998. He formerly represented Benicia as a state senator. Redistricting after the 2010 U.S. Census put Benicia into his congressional district.

He’s a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and is on the Health and Select Revenue subcommittees.

He also is on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he’s the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence.

A small vineyard owner who has been the maintenance supervisor for the Beringer Winery, Thompson is the co-founder and co-chairperson of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus. He also is member and former chairperson of the Congressional Sportsmen Caucus.

Among his accomplishments, “I’m very active in revitalizing Mare Island,” he said of the Vallejo shipyard that was bought by the U.S. Navy in 1853 and was closed in 1996.

Not only has Thompson convened several summits, bringing local, state and federal officials to examine how Mare Island can be revived, he’s also been instrumental in securing ship repair contracts and other grants that have added 120 new jobs and led to the opening of new businesses there.

For Benicia, Thompson pointed to his longstanding work on rail safety, something he began in the state Legislature after a 1991 toxic chemical spill killed millions of trees, animals and fish near Dunsmire.

When he was in the Legislature, his Senate Bill 48 became Chapter 766 of California Statutes, founding the Railroad Accident Prevention Intermediate Deployment (RAPID) Force that works with local agencies to handle large-scale toxic releases after surface transportation accidents.

As a member of the House, Thompson has continued his work at the federal level to assure that “whatever is shipped by rail is safe for the community,” he said.

Valero Benicia Refinery has requested permission to extend Union Pacific Railroad tracks into its property so it can receive crude oil by train. The controversial project currently is undergoing environmental review.

“The rail issue isn’t only for Benicia,” Thompson said, noting that other communities in his district also have railroads and refineries. “It’s an important issue. It needs to be approached in a way that is respectful of the industries.” He said he is seeking “a balance” in how crude delivered by rail addresses safety, environmental, economic and other concerns.

Another Benicia issue is ground contamination of the Benicia Arsenal, the former Army weapons base.

Thompson said he continues to raise the issues Benicia officials have asked to be addressed, such as assuring public health and safety no longer are in question, and that the federal government and military authorities “live up to their responsibilities” and make sure the district is cleaned.

Thompson said he also remains active in gun violence prevention. He led a House task force on the issue after the Dec. 14, 2012, Newtown, Conn. tragedy in which 20 Sandy Hook Elementary School students and six school employees were gunned down.

More locally, he’s participated in events in which Solano County residents were asked to turn in guns, with no questions asked, in exchange for rewards, an effort to get the weapons off the streets.

Another long-time concern for Thompson: the water of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“This is a huge issue for the district, specifically for Benicia and Martinez,” he said. “I’ve been a real leader on that.”

His goal is to prevent water from north of the Delta being shipped to Southern California to the point it’s detrimental to the people and environment of the Delta.

“It’s second nature to me. I’ve been fighting water battles a long time,” he said.

Thompson has lived in his district — which ranges from the wine country of Napa to the industrial and former military sites in South Solano and Contra Costa counties — all his life. It’s a district with both urban and rural areas and diverse populations.

But Thompson doesn’t see dealing with those differences as a problem. In fact, he sees the unity in his widespread district.

For instance, the winemakers of Napa complement restaurant operators and those organizing wine walks in Benicia and elsewhere in the district.

“I have represented a wide swath of California,” he said, stretching from the border with Oregon to the University of California-Davis to the outskirts of Sacramento, down the Delta to Pinole and plenty of areas in between.

“I’m not thrown off at all. I’ve worked through the geographic and other differences, and I see a lot in common.”

He acknowledged that his opponent, James Hinton, had hoped for a debate prior to Tuesday’s election. But, “No one set up a debate,” he said, noting that debates are organized by outside agencies, not candidates themselves.

Should he retain the District 5 Congressional seat, Thompson said he will continue to strive to strengthen his district’s economy and bring jobs to the area.

If Tuesday’s votes give both the U.S. Senate and his own House Republican majorities, Thompson said he still expects to remain an effective representative. “I have a solid record of working across party lines,” he said. “I am committed to solving problems.”

In fact, he said, he repeatedly hears his constituents say they are tired of partisanship in Washington. “I am, too,” he said.

He said those in the district want elected officials to produce solutions to the weak economy. They want more jobs in the area and a stronger middle class — goals he’s committed to meeting.

He said with issues of immediate concern, such as the attacks by ISIS and the spread of the Ebola virus, “Congress needs to set its differences aside and solve the problems. That’s the main issue.”