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John McCrea, singer of the band Cake, performs during a benefit concert for congressional candidates Mai Vang and Effie Phillips-Staley at Channel 24 in Sacramento on Sunday, March 22, 2026.<\/p>\n
HANNAH RUHOFF<\/p>\n
hruhoff@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The band Cake hosted a concert Sunday in Sacramento, the city where the alternative rock group formed, to fundraise in support of city Councilmember Mai Vang\u2019s bid for California\u2019s 7th Congressional District.<\/p>\n
Vang is running against longtime incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui to represent Sacramento, south Sacramento and parts of Elk Grove, El Dorado Hills, Placerville, Lodi and Galt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so excited just to be part of this and so proud to have the support of a band that sings truth to power,\u201d said Vang, who was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020 and was the first Asian American woman on the council. \u201cThis is about supporting a progressive movement across our country, East Coast, West Coast, because it\u2019s time for change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vang\u2019s opponent Matsui has held the congressional seat since 2005, serving 11 consecutive terms. The area was formerly represented by her husband, Rep. Bob Matsui, who held the seat from 1979 until his death in 2005. She has been endorsed by prominent Democrats such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a> and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, as well as a majority of the Sacramento City Council<\/a>, including Mayor Kevin McCarty.<\/p>\n The concert was also held to benefit Sacramento native and Democrat Effie Phillips-Staley\u2019s race for New York\u2019s 17th District.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the moment for progressives, because we put people first, instead of a nation that prioritizes spending our tax dollars on wars that this country doesn\u2019t even want when we could have health care for all, when we could have universal child care, when we could have affordable housing,\u201d Phillips-Staley said.<\/p>\n Both Vang and Phillips-Staley attended Sacramento High School, which members of Cake also attended.<\/p>\n Cake formed in 1991 and rose to national fame throughout the decade, particularly after the band\u2019s second album, \u201cFashion Nugget,\u201d went platinum with the lead single, \u201cThe Distance.\u201d<\/p>\n The band played multiple shows at Channel 24 this week<\/a> outside of the fundraiser, its first Sacramento appearance since 2019.<\/p>\n Phillips-Staley met the band\u2019s lead singer, John McCrea, in Sacramento before the band was founded. She said she was there when McCrea and Greg Brown, another founding member of the band who recently died<\/a>, announced the formation of Cake.<\/p>\n Phillips-Staley said McCrea has always been \u201creally politically active.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe always really cared about justice,\u201d Phillips-Staley said. \u201cThat was always a part of the kind of songwriting that he did and does.\u201d<\/p>\n McCrea said he classifies the band music as \u201chigh impact, easy listening\u201d and \u201cinadvertently political.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiving, breathing air is political,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n John Ruffner, 43, came to watch the band play and said he supported Vang. He said he was \u201cstoked\u201d to watch them perform and has been a fan of the band for a while, especially being friends with McCrea\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who represented New York\u2019s 16th District, came from New York to support both Vang and Phillips-Staley and said he was excited to see the crowd excited about democracy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a vital, vital, vital time in our country, and we need fighters and champions and real progressives in Congress, and right now, we don\u2019t have that many,\u201d Bowman said.<\/p>\n Workers and volunteers for Vang\u2019s campaign wore signs bearing the slogans \u201cChange takes courage\u201d and \u201cThe People Power Club.\u201d<\/p>\n Volunteer Suzy Goldenkranz, 39, said Vang is \u201cmission-driven, kindest, and the most sincere.\u201d She started volunteering for Vang\u2019s campaign last summer as soon as it was announced.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that Mai is an incredibly dynamic candidate and would represent us great in Washington, D.C.,\u201d Goldenkranz said.<\/p>\n Vang said that her and Phillips-Staley\u2019s values were strongly aligned, calling Phillips-Staley her \u201csister\u201d and saying that she was proud to see her campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThis moment is more than just about two congressional races,\u201d Vang said. \u201cIt is about the future of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/HRR_4470_CAKE_001.jpg\" "\\"HRR_4470_CAKE_001.jpg\\"")
John McCrea, singer of the band Cake, center, meets with congressional candidates Mai Vang, right, and Effie Phillips-Staley, center left, and former U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman, left, before a benefit concert hosted by the two campaigns and Cake at Channel 24 in Sacramento on Sunday, March 22, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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