By admin 
Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang is moving on to the November election and could be poised to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui.
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Vang secured her spot Tuesday afternoon after the latest Sacramento County primary election update, according to The Associated Press. She had 30.9% of the vote, just more than Matsui’s 29.1%.
“This lead shows our message is connecting,” Vang said in a written statement Tuesday afternoon. “People are tired of leaders who answer to their biggest donors instead of the families they represent. The squeeze on working families doesn’t check your party registration — and neither will I.”
Republican college student Zachariah Wooden, who surprised people with his early standing last week, is now a distant third at 22.1%. An estimated 95% of the votes are counted.
The nearly complete results confirm what many have suspected for months: Matsui is facing her toughest test since arriving in Congress more than 20 years ago.
Matsui, who began representing the area in 2005, is a pillar of the Democratic establishment. She entered the race with overwhelming advantages in fundraising, endorsements and name recognition. Her backers include Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Vang, who represents south Sacramento on the City Council, has positioned herself as a local leader who embraces progressive policies and is not bound by corporate interests. She is part of a wave of younger Democratic candidates trying to oust more moderate incumbents in safe blue seats across the country.
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Matsui and her supporters have countered by highlighting her decades of experience in Congress and ability to deliver federal resources to the region.
“I’m confident that my record of delivering for this community and my vision for the future — more affordable lives, better health care, and holding Donald Trump accountable — will earn the trust of voters for another term in Congress,” Matsui said in a written statement Friday after securing her spot in the general election.
The primary election offered an early glimpse of the fight ahead, with both campaigns escalating their attacks in effort to win over Democratic voters.
Vang and her supporters criticized Matsui’s immigration voting record, highlighted her history of accepting corporate donations and accused her of elevating Wooden on her campaign website.
Matsui’s campaign countered by attacking Vang for accepting corporate contributions from Sacramento-area businesses during her City Council campaigns and for benefiting from spending by out-of-state political action committees. Vang also faced criticism in conservative media outlets from her longstanding practice of abstaining from the Pledge of Allegiance in council meetings.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 4:18 PM.