<\/p>\n
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang was attempting to challenge the endorsement of her opponent, Rep. Doris Matsui, by the California Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Robin Epley<\/p>\n
Sacramento-area Rep. Doris Matsui<\/a> won the California Democratic Party endorsement Saturday evening with 67% of the vote, exceeding the necessary 60% a candidate must earn for the endorsement to be placed on the party\u2019s consent calendar.<\/p>\n However, Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang,<\/a> Matsui\u2019s opponent, is challenging the results. Vang won just 29% of the delegates vote, a drop from the pre-endorsing conference results where she won nearly 34%, initially enough to keep Matsui below the 60% threshold.<\/p>\n \u201cThe party\u2019s complicated, Byzantine rules are that you don\u2019t win the endorsement at 60%, but it sends you to the consent calendar, which is kind of a de facto vote,\u201d said Andres Ramos, a delegate at the convention and Chair of the Sacramento County Democrats.<\/p>\n Ramos said that in order to mount a successful challenge, Vang needed either 20 delegates from the 7th Congressional District to sign a petition within an hour of the final tally, or at least two members from the Policy Exception Review Committee, also known as PERC. Once a challenge is submitted, party officers review for validity. If it\u2019s accepted, the PERC members will meet Sunday morning to accept or deny the challenge. If it\u2019s accepted, it will go to all state delegates for a floor vote.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to argue it\u2019s not in the best interest of the party,\u201d Ramos said.<\/p>\n Matsui has been the Sacramento-area representative for the past 20 years. Vang is the first elected Democrat to challenge the incumbent, and politically is to Matsui\u2019s left.<\/p>\n Delegates voted Saturday night at the convention, which is being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Delegates and candidates will take to the convention hall again Sunday for the ratification of endorsements.<\/p>\n Matsui has been endorsed by leading Democrats such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a> and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla<\/a>. She was also endorsed by a majority of the Sacramento City Council, including Mayor Kevin McCarty.<\/p>\n The race between the two Democrats is a generational clash between an 81-year-old incumbent and her 40-year-old challenger.<\/p>\n Regardless of Vang\u2019s challenge, a caucus for the 7th Congressional District must be held Sunday to decide who the party will endorse, on the floor of the convention.<\/p>\n This story was originally published February 21, 2026 at 11:00 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SAC_0047_PK_20250716_PK_ROBINEPLEY.jpg\")