Prior to her preselection, Thompson had served as elected mayor of the City of Onkaparinga, taking leave of absence to campaign for Davenport.
Thompson assisted former Unley mayor Lachlan Clyne with his unsuccessful campaign to win the seat of Badcoe for the Liberal Party in the 2018 state election.
[2] Thompson was a candidate for mayor of the City of Onkaparinga in the 2018 South Australian local government elections,[3] after the council – the largest in the state by population – was beset by financial and leadership issues in the previous term.
[6] Thompson was the Labor Party candidate for the South Australian House of Assembly electoral district of Davenport at the 2022 state election,[2] and took leave of absence from her duties as mayor of Onkaparinga to campaign.
[2] Since 3 May 2022 Thompson has been a member of the following parliamentary committees: crime and public integrity policy; environment, resources and development; and publishing.