Longtime California Democrat endorsed by Pelosi falls behind younger challenger

Rep. Doris Matsui, the longtime California congresswoman who has held a Sacramento-area seat for over 20 years, faces a younger challenger in what’s expected to be a competitive intraparty race.

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Matsui is expected to face off against Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, a fellow Democrat who bumped ahead of Matsui as more votes were counted this week. As of Thursday afternoon, Vang had leapfrogged Matsui by a percentage point. 

Vang is now in first with 30.8% of the district’s electorate, and Mastui is in second with 29.1%, according to recent vote counts on the California Secretary of State website. Approximately 95% of the total ballots have been counted.

Matsui’s husband was elected to serve the region as a congressman and continued until his death. Matsui then won his seat in a special election in 2005. The current Congressional District 7 includes the city of Sacramento as well as parts of El Dorado and San Joaquin counties.

Vang has been a Sacramento city councilmember since 2022. For a single day, she was trailing in third place behind a 25-year-old Republican contender, but she got a boost this week.

The fact that Vang surpassed Matsui by 3,000 votes could signal the voters’ support in the district for a new face, although the margins still remain very close. Still, it portends a highly competitive election, given it will be a Democrat-on-Democrat race, and as a growing movement to bring in a new generation of leaders has taken hold. After House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement, questions loomed as to whether other longtime members, specifically those who are octogenarians, would follow in her footsteps. 

Matsui, who is 81, remained in office, and she still has a few things working in her favor. Not only is she the incumbent, which oftentimes serves as an advantage for candidates, but her moderate-leaning politics could help her secure some of the more conservative and undecided voters in her district. The district turned slightly more Republican after Proposition 50 redrew California’s congressional map. Beyond that, Matsui is an established Democrat who has expressed criticism of the Trump administration, specifically on immigration and healthcare.

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She also secured an endorsement from Pelosi, support that has proven to benefit other candidates this election cycle. Pelosi helped boost San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan to the general election along with state Sen. Scott Wiener, in the race to replace Pelosi in District 11.

Meanwhile, Vang ran on a campaign that called for generational change in Congress. She has also focused on affordability and lowering costs for working families and has opposed federal policies under the Trump administration.

“For years, families here have been told to be patient and trust experience because things would get better,” Vang said in a statement this week. “After twenty years, families are living paycheck to paycheck, people of my generation are no closer to owning a home, and you still can’t afford a doctor visit.”