CA Sen. Ashby endorses Vang in hot California race against Rep. Matsui | Analysis
State Sen. Angelique Ashby is endorsing Mai Vang, a member of the Sacramento City Council, who is challenging veteran Sacramento Rep. Doris Matusi in the race for California’s 7th Congressional District.
Vang’s campaign announced the endorsement in a campaign video Tuesday afternoon. It’s arguably the most significant endorsement Vang has received in her attempt to unseat Matsui, an 81-year-old incumbent who has served Sacramento in Congress for 20 years.
The race has been seen as a generational battle of sorts, pitting an upstart politician against a veteran.
Ashby said she has been a mentor to Vang, 41, since before Vang was elected to the council in 2020. They were briefly council colleagues before Ashby was elected to the California Senate in 2022 and have remained close, Ashby said.
“My endorsement isn’t about who Mai is running against,” Ashby said. “It’s about the heart of the woman who is a true servant leader. I believe we need more people like her in leadership so that more people feel represented by this government.”
Matsui has an endorsement and financial advantage over Vang, who represents the Sacramento City Council’s 8th District, which is centered in south Sacramento. Including Gov. Gavin Newsom and both of California’s U.S. Senators, Matsui has been endorsed by most Sacramento leaders, including Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and former Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
According to the most recent federal campaign filings, Matsui has reported $1.5 million in contributions and took out a $1.4 million loan for her campaign.
Vang has raised more than $800,000, those federal campaign filings also show.
State Senate “Majority Leader Angelique Ashby’s endorsement is deeply personal to me,” Vang said in a statement. “We sat side-by-side on the Sacramento City Council, and time, and again we fought to deliver real results for our communities — especially for working moms juggling everything to provide for their families.”
The race between Matsui and Vang has been a bruising one. Both have traded allegations over corporate donations.
Matsui’s record of supporting federal funding for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has come under scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Vang took heat in conservative press for stories that faulted her for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance at Sacramento City Council meetings. Vang says she prays during the pledge.
“I am Mai’s mentor and I feel that I want to stand beside her,” Ashby said. “Mai proves that you can love your country but want it to do better. In the face of right-wing hatred which she’s been getting, I cannot in good conscience, stay on the bench.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 3:40 PM.
