Doris Matsui takes early lead over Mai Vang to represent Sacramento in Congress

The Abridged version:

• Longtime U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui and Sacramento City Council member Mai Vang lead the pack in a race to represent the capital city in Congress.
• Vang, 41, said now is the time for generational change, following decades of a Matsui family member in office. Matsui, 81, is seeking an 11th term and said her experience makes her the most qualified candidate.
• The pair have traded blows over the issue of immigration and response to federal detainment policies.

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Two Democrats vying to represent Sacramento in Congress, in a race centered on issues of immigration policy and rumblings of generational change, are leading the primary race as of the early results announced Tuesday night.

Doris Matsui, a longtime member of Congress, and Mai Vang, a Sacramento City Council member, are leading Tuesday’s primary election in the 7th District. The winners this week will go head-to-head on November’s ballot.

Matsui, with about 30.7% of the early results in Sacramento, El Dorado and San Joaquin counties, leads Vang, who has 24.9% of the vote. Republican Zachariah Wooden trails with 24.1% of votes.

Almost half of the votes had been counted as of the results released at about midnight.

The candidates are squaring off to represent Sacramento at the national level. For Matsui, this would be her 11th term in Congress. Along with Vang and Wooden, her challengers included fellow Democrats Robby Morin and Enayat Nazhat, plus Republican Ralph Nwobi.

Proposition 50, a state ballot measure to redraw congressional lines in favor of Democrats, shaded the 7th District more purple.

Under the new maps, Matsui and Vang are competing for a seat that includes Sacramento’s central city, South Sacramento, plus Elk Grove, El Dorado Hills, Placerville and Galt.

A time for change?

Since launching her campaign in September, Vang has said the moment is right for the next generation to take the wheel.

“There is another choice on the ballot for the first time in 21 years,” Vang, 41, told Abridged earlier this spring.

For decades, a member of the Matsui family has represented Sacramento. Robert Matsui was first elected to Congress in 1979, then died in office in 2005. Doris Matsui, his wife, won a special election to succeed him.

“What we need now is really experienced leadership,” Matsui, 81, said at a campaign event last month.

Immigration at the forefront

Immigration has been a flashpoint in the battle between Vang and Matsui.

Vang said previously she jumped in the race following dissatisfaction with the incumbent’s record.

According to Vang, she asked Matsui, in a meeting with the congresswoman, for details of her stance on immigration policy.

“And she turned to her staff and she said, ‘What is our position on immigration?’” Vang said.

Matsui has disputed that account, calling it a “distortion” of a conversation that was actually about a pardon for one of Vang’s relatives.

The congresswoman has made multiple appearances outside the John Moss Federal Building in Sacramento, denouncing federal immigration policies.

Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.

Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, healthcare and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.