Who's running to represent California's 7th Congressional District?

Kate Wolffe, The Sacramento Bee on Feb 17, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s 7th Congressional District has been represented by 81-year-old Doris Matsui since 2005. Matsui succeeded her husband, Robert, who served from 1979 until his death from cancer in 2005. Challenger Mai Vang, a Sacramento city councilmember, is mounting one of the most meaningful campaigns against Matsui in her entire career.

Vang is part of a cadre of progressive young people who are trying to unseat longtime establishment incumbents. Another progressive challenger for District 7, Erica Lee, said in September that she would suspend her race to back Vang instead.

The 7th Congressional District, which includes Sacramento’s downtown core and Elk Grove, was reworked with the passage of Proposition 50. Formerly including more of Sacramento and surrounding areas, it now it includes El Dorado Hills, Galt and Lodi, making it slightly more Republican but still safely Democratic.

California’s primary election is scheduled for June 2. The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November.

Here are the candidates, in alphabetical order:

Doris Matsui (D)

Incumbent Doris Matsui, 80, has handily beaten challengers over the past two decades. The Sacramento Democrat is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and has focused much of her career on broadband access, health care policy, and clean energy.

Her official biography points to billions of dollars in investment she’s secured for flood prevention and infrastructure projects in Sacramento. Matsui grew up in a farm in the Central Valley and is the daughter of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. Before running for Congress, she was chairwoman of the board for Sacramento public television station KVIE.

Robby Morin (D)

Robby Morin, 31, is a progressive small business owner who announced his campaign in August 2025. With a little under $22,000 in the bank, according to FEC filings, Morin trails far behind Matsui ($785,325.13) and Mai Vang ($198,664).

Morin’s campaign website says he hopes to increase affordability through more plentiful housing, tripling the state’s clean energy production, and having the federal government directly fund higher education. He is also calling for an end to corporate money in elections. This is his first run for Congress.

Mai Vang (D)

The daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos, Mai Vang, 40, is the eldest of 16 children and a lifelong resident of south Sacramento. She was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020 and represents the 8th District, which includes Meadowview, Valley Hi and other south Sacramento neighborhoods.

Vang has been one of the more progressive members of the Sacramento City Council, pushing to direct funding away from city police and butting heads with the mayor over homelessness. She has pledged not to accept campaign donations from corporate PACs.

Republican Kathryn Ming and Democrat Enayat Nazhat have also registered to run but have raised less than $100, according to the Federal Election Commission.

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