Matsui’s website says Republican opponent has ‘record of serving the community’
Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang is blasting Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, for uplifting their Republican opponent, a candidate who has virtually no chance at winning the 7th District Congressional seat, on her website.
The scrutiny comes as Vang is attempting to unseat Matsui, a pillar of Democratic establishment in the Sacramento region. While there are other candidates in the race, Vang is expected to be Matsui’s toughest primary challenger since she first won the seat in 2004.
Among the other candidates is Zachariah Wooden, a Republican college student and the sole candidate featured on Matsui’s website.
On the media page of Matsui’s website, Wooden is called a Republican candidate who has a “record of serving the community” and fighting to advance President Donald Trump’s policies. The page also highlights Wooden’s endorsements with local GOP groups and his belief that local law enforcement should partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Republican and Republican-leaning (no party preference) likely primary voters need to see, read and see on the go that Zachariah Wooden is the strongest Republican in the June 2 primary,” the website states.
Matsui’s campaign spokesperson Kevin Liao said Monday the website information is to contrast Matsui with some of the “extreme Republican ideas” proposed. Liao added Wooden is the only candidate featured on the website because he is “from all accounts the most prominent Republican in the race.”
The decision to feature Wooden, a Sacramento State student, is unique given that he is not viewed as a viable candidate for the seat. He does not have an active campaign website nor raised any money, according to the latest filings from the Federal Election Commission.
Vang, in a news release, criticized Matsui for “openly working to boost a MAGA Republican” into the top two primary and avoiding “a real fight with her Democratic challenger.”
“Establishment politicians like Doris would rather see a Republican extremist in power than pass the torch to the next generation of leadership,” Vang said in a written statement. “This is the kind of ugly, self-serving politics that turns people off from our democracy.
Vang’s website has taken a different approach by highlighting what the campaign views as differences between her and Matsui. In one section, the website states one of its core goals in the closing weeks of the primary is to ensure voters see “purely negative messaging against the incumbent.”
“Congresswoman Matsui, who voted to impeach Donald Trump twice, is clear-eyed about the threat MAGA Republicans like Zachariah Wooden pose to our community,” said Matsui campaign strategist Roger Salazar in a written statement. “While Mai Vang urges her supporters to attack Matsui, the congresswoman remains focused on what actually matters: Winning back the House majority to hold Trump and his supporters like Zachariah Wooden accountable.”
Wooden, in a written statement, called Matsui’s website description “selective” and an attempt by the incumbent “to manipulate the field by emphasizing one narrow slice” of his campaign.
“She would rather define the race on her terms than compare her record against the better alternative I’m offering on issues like affordability, public safety, infrastructure and accountability,” he said.
The 7th District encompasses El Dorado Hills and Placerville to the north to Lodi and Linden to the south. Other major areas in the district include 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.
