Doris Matsui and Mai Vang compete in Sacramento congressional election race

Mai Vang and Doris Matsui advanced to the November general election in Sacramento. The matchup pits a progressive councilmember against a veteran lawmaker. Voters will decide the intra-party contest.

Vang finished first in the June primary. Matsui finished in second place. Both candidates are Democrats.

Matsui just turned 82 years old. Vang is 41 years old. Matsui is twice the age of her challenger.

FEC filings show Matsui outspent Vang by nearly a 4-to-1 margin. The Sacramento Bee reported Matsui spent nearly $3 million of her own money. Vang criticized that spending and Matsui’s reliance on political action committees.

Vang attacked the incumbent for opposing Medicare for All. She also criticized Matsui’s support for U.S. military aid for Israel.

Matsui’s campaign targeted Vang’s attendance record on local government bodies. The campaign also criticized Vang’s appearance with Hasan Piker. A Matsui advisor called the streamer an “anti-American and anti-Semitic clout chaser.”

The Prop 50 redistricting effort altered boundaries across the region. The district retains downtown and midtown Sacramento, plus Elk Grove. It now reaches from Placerville to rural San Joaquin County.

Matsui has served in the House of Representatives since 2005. She won election to replace her late husband Bob Matsui. Together, they will reach 50 collective years in Congress if she wins.

Matsui holds endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Democratic Party. Five of Vang’s seven city council colleagues also back Matsui.

Vang won her Sacramento City Council seat in 2020. She has served on the council for more than five years. Vang is the child of Hmong refugees and the oldest of 16 children.

A victory would make Vang the first Hmong member of Congress. The California Working Families Party and Justice Democrats endorse her campaign.

Congressional elections take place every two years across the nation. Voters choose representatives through local ballots within designated boundaries. Candidates participate in primary votes before advancing.

Sacramento residents will cast their ballots in November.