Your guide to California's 7th Congressional District race

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Sep 23, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and progressive challenger Mai Vang are in a fierce intraparty and generational battle for the Sacramento region’s 7th Congressional District.

Matsui, 81, faces her toughest reelection campaign since she took over the seat 21 years ago. Vang, 41, is part of a broader wave of younger progressive candidates seeking to oust longtime Democratic incumbents across the country.

The two Democrats have exchanged a flurry of critiques throughout the campaign. Matsui has leaned on her experience and cited a record of delivering resources to the region, while Vang has called for new leadership and emphasized working-class families.

Vang won the top spot in the June primary with about 31.2% of the vote, compared to Matsui’s 29.1%. They beat out Zachariah Wooden, a Republican college student who finished third.

Like many congressional districts across California, the boundaries of the 7th District have changed following Proposition 50. The district remains a solidly blue seat though it now includes more GOP-leaning suburbs in El Dorado County.

Where is the district?

The newly 7th District stretches from El Dorado Hills and Placerville to the north to Lodi and Linden to the south. Other major areas in the district include Sacramento’s downtown core, Galt, Elk Grove and south Sacramento.

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.

Who are the candidates?

Matsui has served in the House since 2005 when she succeeded her husband Robert, who served from 1979 until his death from cancer. She is the daughter of Japanese Americans who were detained in an internment camp during World War II and grew up on a farm in the Central Valley.

Before running for Congress, Matsui was chairwoman of the board for Sacramento public television station KVIE. She is now a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a member of the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee.

Over the last few months, Matsui has secured Democrat establishment support including Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Her website emphasizes her work on securing funding for flood protection, transportation projects and expanding healthcare access.

Vang has represented the 8th District of the Sacramento City Council since 2020. She is the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos and the eldest of 16 children. Vang cemented herself as the most progressive member on the council by pushing to scale back funding away from the Police Department and to youth and homeless resources. Last year, she declined a salary raise and redirected the funds back into her south Sacramento district to “better support community needs.” She is also a lecturer in the Ethnic Studies Department of Sacramento State.

Her website lists some of her top issues as championing Medicare For All, building affordable housing, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taxing billionaires “to pay their fair share.” Vang has pledged not to accept campaign donations from corporate political action committees.

Who is funding the race?

Matsui holds a financial lead, but Vang has made some strides in fundraising.

Matsui received nearly $1.8 million in campaign contributions from the start of 2025 to the end of June 2026 — the latest filing deadline — according to the Federal Election Commission website. Many of her largest contributions came from political action committees. Matsui, among the wealthiest members of Congress, also took out a $1.4 million loan for her campaign in April.

Vang has reported about $1.08 million in campaign donations since she launched her campaign until September 2025. The majority of Vang’s money has come from individual donors, though critics have noted major independent expenditure support from outside progressive political action committees.

As of June, Matsui had about $467,000 cash on hand and Vang had roughly $105,000.

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