Rep. Matsui secures spot in California's 7th District race. Vang is likely next

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Jun 5, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rep. Doris Matsui has secured her spot for the November general election, while main contender Mai Vang will likely have to wait for at least a few more days.

Sacramento County’s election update Friday afternoon solidified that the two Democrats appear headed toward a showdown in the general election. Matsui had 30.5% of the vote, while Vang had 28.5%. As of 4:36 p.m. Friday, about 65% of the vote is accounted for, though Matsui is certain to advance, according to The Associated Press.

“I’m confident that my record of delivering for this community and my vision for the future — more affordable lives, better healthcare and holding Donald Trump accountable — will earn the trust of voters for another term in Congress,” said Matsui in a written statement following the update.

“We’re still standing, because of the people,” Vang said in written statement. “Every door we knocked, every conversation we had, every neighbor who wanted a new generation of leadership — it’s showing up in these numbers. We’re not done. There are thousands of votes still to count, and we’re going to honor every single one of them.”

The latest results help separate Vang from Zachariah Wooden, a Republican college student who had recently jumped ahead of her by a few hundred votes. Wooden now has 22.6% of the vote and his fellow Republican Ralph Nwobi has 15.7%.

Wooden, 24, moving onto the general election would be stunning as he has relatively little name recognition and is campaigning in a left-leaning district.

Matsui faced criticism last month after her campaign website included a page on Wooden and said he had a “record of serving the community.” Vang supporters also accused her campaign of directing a super PAC to spend $119,000 to boost Wooden.

The campaign denied allegations they advocated for the young conservative and said the website information is to show “what’s at stake with MAGA Republicans like Zachariah Wooden.”

A November showdown between Vang and Matsui is expected to be bitter and representative of a generational rift in the Democratic Party. Vang is part of a wave of progressive younger candidates trying to oust longtime and more moderate incumbents in safe blue seats across the country. Matsui, a pillar of the Democratic establishment, has represented the Sacramento region district since 2005 when she succeeded her husband Robert after his death from cancer.

The 7th District stretches from El Dorado Hills and Placerville to the north to Lodi and Linden to the south. It also encompasses Galt, Elk Grove and several capital region neighborhoods including Campus Commons, Oak Park, south Sacramento and the city’s downtown core.

Proposition 50, a voter-approved initiative that redrew California’s congressional boundaries to favor Democrats, eliminated West Sacramento, Lemon Hill, Florin, East Sacramento and Isleton from the district.