{"id":330213,"date":"2026-05-24T06:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T06:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/330213\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T06:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T06:19:19","slug":"california-congressional-candidate-refuses-to-say-pledge-of-allegiance-turns-back-on-us-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/330213\/","title":{"rendered":"California congressional candidate refuses to say Pledge of Allegiance, turns back on US flag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millions of Americans will spend Memorial Day weekend<\/a> honoring those who died while serving in the US military \u2014 but California congressional candidate Mai Vang likely will not be one of them.<\/p>\n

The lefty Sacramento city councilmember has boasted about refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance<\/a> at public meetings and ceremonies \u2014 and routinely turned her back on the flag.<\/p>\n

Mai Vang, in the center wearing pink, turns her back on the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance in a March 2026 meeting. Metro Cable 14<\/p>\n

Vang, center and wearing a red undershirt, again turns away from the flag during a January 2026 meeting.<\/p>\n

Vang, who is attempting to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui in the June primary election, is currently polling neck-and-neck with the incumbent and slightly ahead of Republican Zachariah Wooden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the potential of an anti-American congressmember isn\u2019t sitting right with some constituents in the state\u2019s recently redrawn 7th congressional district, which added more conservative pockets like Lodi, Placerville and El Dorado Hills to a electoral map that already included parts of Sacramento and Elk Grove.<\/p>\n

David Cushman, chair of the San Joaquin Republican Party, said that Vang is attempting to mold herself in the image of the ambitious New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vang, far right, refuses to look at the flag and cite the Pledge of Allegiance in a July 2025 meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer strategy is badly misjudged and really bad fit for the district,\u201d he told The California Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s trying to be the AOC<\/a> of the Central Valley, but this is not the same district as AOC\u2019s or even Nancy Pelosi\u2019s district [in San Francisco].\u201d<\/p>\n

Vang, the daughter of Hmong refugees, has had several notable incidents in which she refused to take part in the Pledge \u2014 from a Veterans Day ceremony last year to district meetings on Jan. 22 and March 26, as well as a Sacramento City Council meeting on July 1, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Vang is the daughter of Hmong refugees. TNS<\/p>\n

Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant in Sacramento, called Vang\u2019s actions \u201ccompletely disrespectful to veterans and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s \u2018Patriotism 101,\u2019 you say the Pledge of Allegiance even if you don\u2019t agree with everything,\u201d Maviglio said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t say the Pledge of Allegiance \u2014 that\u2019s how extreme you are? Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vang, who did not respond to the Post\u2019s request for comment, even celebrated her refusal to cite the Pledge of Allegiance in a social media post<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

Vang posted this message on social media in February 2025. Facebook\/Mai Vang<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as I love this country, I use that moment to ground myself \u2014 to center our communities and remind myself of the injustices and harm that continue to affect so many, both locally and across the globe, under this nation\u2019s influence,\u201d she wrote, adding #FreePalestine and #KeepFamiliesTogether hashtags.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not tune out \u2014 they want us to become numb to the realities we see in the news \u2014 it\u2019s part of the plan to keep us complacent. But instead, we resist. We surround ourselves with loved ones, take time to rest, remain vigilant, and stay steadfast in the fight for equity, justice & humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n

California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>
California Post Sports Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, X<\/a>
California Post Opinion<\/a>
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!<\/a>
California Post App: Download here!<\/a>
Home delivery: Sign up here!<\/a>
<\/a>Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n

Vang was accused of trying to position herself as the AOC of the Central Valley.<\/p>\n

What has further enraged some of Vang\u2019s critics is the contrast in her family\u2019s path to the US \u2014 with the assistance of the US military \u2014 compared to the way Matsui\u2019s family was treated.<\/p>\n

Rep. Matsui, 81, was born in an internment camp during World War II after the federal government forced her family and many Japanese Americans into detention facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Vang] is going on like she\u2019s the big champion of immigrant rights, and Matsui lived it,\u201d Maviglio said.<\/p>\n

Vang was first elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020. AP<\/p>\n

Amy Gardner, a community organizer who founded Midtown-East Sac Advocates, called Vang\u2019s actions during the Pledge \u201cinfuriating\u201d while also criticizing the councilmember\u2019s approach to public safety.<\/p>\n

Vang repeatedly opposed Sacramento city budgets over disagreements about police spending, including voting against multiple budgets between 2021 and 2025, according to the Sacramento Bee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she\u2019s actively trying to take money away from the police department and law enforcement across the board,\u201d Gardener said.<\/p>\n

Vang is in a tight race against Rep. Doris Matsui and Republican Zachariah Wooden. AP<\/p>\n

Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said the controversy over Vang\u2019s refusal to take part in something as fundamental as the Pledge speaks to broader problems inside the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo much contempt for law enforcement, too little respect for our country, and no understanding of what Californians value,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoters want leaders who respect the police and honor our flag. When a candidate cannot meet that basic test, it tells voters everything they need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wooden, a first-time candidate who hails from San Joaquin County, appears to be within shouting distance of finishing in the top two, which would allow him to advance to the November runoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hear that somebody wants to be a sitting member of US Congress and appears to be disinterested in the major symbols of American pride and what it means to be an American, it\u2019s not just disappointing \u2014 it\u2019s malicious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of her rhetoric is a rejection of our basic American values.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t