The Abridged version:
- Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang said she will challenge fellow Democrat Rep. Doris Matsui for a Sacramento-area congressional seat next year.
- It could represent Matsui’s toughest electoral challenge since joining the House of Representatives in 2005.
- Vang said it’s time to select leaders who are clear on their positions on immigration, health care and use of tax dollars. “I’m not afraid to take on the establishment.”
The race for Sacramento’s 7th Congressional District seat is shaping up to be more heated than the city has seen in years.
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang announced Tuesday morning that she plans to run for the seat long held by fellow Democrat Rep. Doris Matsui. The district includes the cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove and Galt and the bulk of Sacramento County.
Vang, 40, often describes herself as a native Sacramentan and the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos. She first joined the council in December 2020, representing South Sacramento in the city’s District 8. She was unopposed for re-election in 2024.
If elected, she would be the first Hmong American in Congress. Vang said her decision to run was fueled by her strong opposition to the uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in the region.
“This run for Congress is incredibly personal for me,” Vang said. “I’ve been on the ground talking to refugees and immigrants regarding the attacks on our neighbors.”
The seat has been held by a member of the Matsui family for decades. Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui won a special election for the seat in 2005, after her husband, Robert Matsui passed away in office. Robert Matsui was first elected to Congress in 1979.
“I always do my job,” Matsui told Abridged, in an interview last month.
“There’s always somebody’s who thinking about running whether or not it’s for the new district or the old district. I have to say, I love Sacramento, I understand Sacramento and I’m in the fight.”
California’s redistricting effort, Proposition 50, would shift the 7th District seat from a heavily Democratic seat to a more competitive Democratic seat. Matsui, 80, has said she would run for re-election even if Proposition 50 passes and narrows the Democratic margin in the district.
Abridged spoke with Vang on the eve of her campaign announcement.
Q: Why now? Was there a specific moment that pushed you to throw your hat in the ring?
A: “As a daughter of Hmong refugees, someone who grew up in Sacramento, someone who is married to a son of Mexican immigrants, I understand the day-to-day struggle of our working families.
“The moment that did it for me is when I sat down with a family member who shared he was afraid to go to his next ICE hearing. He asked me for advice if he should show up because he was afraid that if he went, he would be taken away from his family. I said, ‘you should definitely go, and when the time comes, I’m going with you.'”
“In that moment, and through the various asks from community members, I decided that this is a time for change and it’s a time for new leadership.”
Q: Sacramento’s political environment can urge leaders to wait their turn. You’re challenging a long-tenured incumbent. Why challenge those conventions?
A: “I have deep gratitude for the Matsui family, who has served for almost 47 years in this region. But in this moment, we need leaders who are clear on their position in terms of immigration, health care and the ways in which we use our tax dollars.
“We’ve been sending aid to Israel to fund a genocide. I’ve been vocal about ensuring that those tax dollars be invested in care here in this country. Change can be hard, and I’m not afraid to take on the establishment.”
Q: California’s redistricting efforts make the seat more purple. What’s your plan for reaching those voters?
A: “First, I do support Proposition 50. No matter where the (redistricting) lines go, I’m going to speak to the issues of working families. It’s not about if you’re a Democrat or you’re a Republican. Many of our working families are struggling in this moment, and we’re going to speak to those issues across all party lines.”
Q: Are you confident you can land in the top two of the primary?
A: “Yes. We have a pathway of getting there through ‘people power.’ Our campaign is also not taking any corporate (political action committee donations). This will be a national grassroots campaign. It will be small donors here in the Sacramento region and from my Hmong community throughout this country.”
Q: What issues would you take on as a member of Congress?
“First and foremost, we have to talk about affordability in this country. So many of our families are working numerous hours.
“Making sure that we have labor protection is incredibly important. So is increasing the minimum wage, addressing student debt and making sure that we have a clear pathway to citizenship for our Dreamers, our undocumented immigrants and our residents with Temporary Protected Status.”
Q: How would you describe your tenure on the Sacramento City Council so far?
A: “I actually came in as a city councilmember during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and during that time, I represented the district with the highest cases of Covid-19. I’m so proud of the coalitions we built during that time to launch one of the most culturally linguistic, diverse vaccination clinics in this country.
“I’ve been proud to work with community partners and with our city staff to secure over $40 million in investment for our district. I plan to take that same fight to Washington, D.C..”
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.
