California’s Congressional District 7 race is taking shape ahead of the June primary, reshaped by Proposition 50 redistricting.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The June primary for California is right around the corner, and all congressional seats are up for grabs.
Following the passage of Proposition 50, California’s newly redrawn Congressional districts mean many incumbents seeking re-election need the votes of people they’ve never represented.
Here is a closer look at Congressional District 7. It currently encompasses the southern half of Sacramento County – from the Sacramento Railyards, down. The newly redrawn district contains parts of San Joaquin and El Dorado counties, including Placerville and El Dorado Hills.
There are six candidates in the race whose names you will see on the ballot, and two of them have reported significant campaign activity, raising more than $100,000, according to the Federal Election Commission filings. They are incumbent Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, both Democrats.
Interview responses have been cleaned up and slightly condensed for easier reading, while keeping the candidates’ words intact.
Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui is seeking her 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has served the area since 2005, when she won a special election to replace her husband in the seat, after he died of complications from a rare bone marrow disease. The 81-year-old has served in her role for 21 years now.
“I grew up on a farm in the Central Valley… and I’ve spent many years representing the core of Sacramento,” Matsui said. “I understand firsthand how different communities have different needs… I represent this region’s values and concerns, and I deliver real results for people, so they can see and feel how it affects their daily lives.”
“I’ve delivered, as you know, billions of dollars for flood protection to keep people safe, their homes safe, their businesses safe,” she said. “I’ve also made sure that I’ve also delivered billions in transit and road repairs.”
QUESTION: What will you do to lower the cost of living in California?
DORIS MATSUI: “Lowering the cost of living is really my number one priority. I mean, we see all the working people having to stretch their budgets, whether it’s food or energy or health,” Matsui said. “Healthcare: I know I’ve taken on the fight to lower prescription drug costs and really to make sure that we can lower the healthcare costs, and I won’t stop doing that.”
She also pointed to her work with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), securing grants for them to improve their energy delivery grid and efficiency projects.
QUESTION: What are the key issues you’ll focus on if you’re re-elected?
DORIS MATSUI: “Really creating good paying jobs. I think that’s really very important.”
She pointed out she is the top Democrat on the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Communications & Technology Subcommittee.
“As a ranking member, I co-authored with another member from Texas, the CHIPS and Science bill, which really was wonderful because it’s designed to really make sure that we have domestic semiconductor production and also to make sure that we’re not dependent on foreign supply chains and also to actually have more research and development for AI and quantum computing,” Matsui said. “We already have a deliverable here, too, because the Bosch Roseville facility comes right out of this, and I’m always happy to help my neighboring areas.”
She also addressed funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We cannot have any more funding for ICE. We have to make sure that we change what they do,” Matsui said. “It should not be a terrorism attack on people… The Trump administration has to be made accountable, and we’ll make sure we do that.”
QUESTION: How will you work across party lines to get things done for your district?
DORIS MATSUI: Just this session, she said, “I passed two bipartisan bills in order to make sure that we strengthen our emergency communication system, which – as you know – is really critical in this time with the fact of wildfires and extreme weather.”
“There are times we have to really fight – and we do that – but when there are times that we can actually work together, I will use every means that I can find in order to find a path to get results for my constituents,” Matsui said.
Matsui has the endorsements of the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood and Governor Gavin Newsom, among others. In a rare move, the California Federation of Labor Unions endorsed both Vang and Matsui in this race.
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang is seeking her first term in Congress. She was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020 and re-elected after running unopposed in 2024. The 41-year-old has served on the council for five-and-a-half years.
“I was born and raised right here in Sacramento. I am the proud daughter of Hmong refugees and growing up I actually grew up on food stamps. I grew up on Medicaid, and had it not been for these critical safety net programs, I would not be here today,” Vang said. “I really do believe that government can be used for good.”
“I’m running because we need leaders who understand the day-to day-struggles of our working families, especially in this moment,” Vang said. “I have over 20 years of policy experience, of governing experience, of community organizing experience. I have secured millions for our youth impacted by poverty, violence and trauma in the city of Sacramento. I am proud to have led three citywide ballot measures, and we are three-for-three.”
“This congressional race is more than just about one seat; it is really about the future of this country. Do we want business-as-usual, or do we want a new generation of leadership?” Vang said. “I can take on Trump, I can take on the status quo. I can take on corporate corporations, because I’m here to fight for our working families in this region.”
QUESTION: What will you do to lower the cost of living in California?
MAI VANG: “I am pushing for Medicare-for-all right now. So many of our working families are seeing their premiums go up, and so I am an advocate for Medicare-for-all,” Vang said. “I am also your anti-war candidate. We are being pulled into an illegal war. We are spending over $20 billion in taxpayer dollars on this illegal war, when we should be investing this money right here at home on healthcare, on housing.
QUESTION: What are the key issues you’ll focus on if you’re elected?
MAI VANG: “Working families and Americans do not want war in this moment. As a daughter of refugees, I understand the day-to-day struggles of all of our families, and I also understand the consequences of war, the generational trauma that war has on family,” Vang said.
Another issue Vang cares deeply about is immigration, she said.
“I have taken a position on abolishing ICE because this is an agency that is harming our Black and brown communities, terrorizing our refugees and immigrants,” Vang said. “I am running on that record, in particular, because our congresswoman, she is now coming out and taking a position against ICE. She hasn’t called for the abolishment of ICE.”
QUESTION: How will you work across party lines to get things done for your district?
MAI VANG: “Establishment Republicans and Democrats bought by corporations created the conditions for what we have today. And when we talk about affordability, it’s a nonpartisan issue. Families in Placerville, in Lodi and Galt and Elk Grove, they’re struggling to get by,” Vang said. “And so, when I become the next congresswoman, I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the high cost of living.”
Vang has secured the endorsements of groups including the National Union of Healthcare Workers, UAW Region 6 and Working Families Party. In a rare move, the California Federation of Labor Unions endorsed both Vang and Matsui in this race.
FUNDRAISING
MAI VANG: “Our campaign does not take any corporate PAC money, and I really believe that when your campaign is funded by corporate PACs — when you have a corporate credit card — you have debt to pay. What does that mean? That means that you won’t move with a sense of urgency on Medicare-for-all, which is why Congresswoman Doris Matsui has not taken a position on Medicare-for-all, because she takes money from Big Pharma and health insurance companies.”
ABC10 asked Matsui about Vang’s criticism that she’s beholden to corporate interests and not responsive to her constituents.
DORIS MATSUI: “You know, I really feel that having a campaign of just criticism doesn’t do us any good at all. I will say this: I’m in the district a lot, and I have many communities to go to,” Matsui said. “I do have a job in Washington, too, where I’m doing things for Sacramento, so I can’t spend 24/7 at home, even though I love to do that.”
According to federal elections filings, the latest numbers show Doris Matsui has raised more than $1.34 million in this race and Mai Vang has raised about $600,000.
According to the Federal Election Commission, here’s how much the other officially certified candidates have raised:
• Robby Morin (D) – About $29,000
• Enayat Nazhat (D) – “No processed data this period,” according to the FEC
• Zachariah Wooden (R) – “No processed data this period,” according to the FEC
• Ralph Nwobi (R) – Not listed on the FEC’s website but listed on the California Secretary of State’s Certified List of Candidates for the June 2, 2026 Primary Election (p. 13)
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