Mai Vang
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 7
Mai Vang is a Sacramento City Councilmember for District 8. She has held the seat since 2020. She was born in Sacramento to Hmong refugees from Laos. She is the eldest of 16 children. She grew up in the Meadowview and Oak Park neighborhoods. Her family relied on food stamps and other social services. She graduated from Sacramento High School. Her two bachelor's degrees are from the University of San Francisco. One was in Biology. One was in Sociology. In 2011, she finished joint master's degrees at UCLA. One was in Asian American Studies. One was in Public Health. She has been a lecturer since 2015. She teaches Ethnic Studies at California State University, Sacramento. She has also taught Asian American Studies at UC Davis. In 2013, she co-founded the group Hmong Innovating Politics. She served on the Sacramento City Unified School District board from 2016 to 2020. She represented Area 5. She won her city council seat in 2020. She was the first Asian American woman elected to that body. She was also the first person of Hmong descent elected to it. She was reelected unopposed in 2024. In September 2025, she announced a House run. She is seeking California's 7th Congressional District seat. She is challenging Rep. Doris Matsui, the longtime incumbent, in the Democratic primary. Vang finished ahead of Matsui in the June 2026 top-two primary, 31.2% (65,617 votes) to 29.1% (61,114 votes). Both Democrats advanced to the November 2026 general election. No Republican advanced to the runoff. Her campaign has stressed that it declines corporate PAC contributions. Home: Sacramento, California, in the Meadowview neighborhood. Occupation: Sacramento City Councilmember. She also lectures in Ethnic Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Prior office: current Sacramento City Councilmember, District 8, since 2020. Earlier, she was a school board member. She held Area 5 on the Sacramento City Unified School District board, 2016 to 2020. This is her first run for Congress.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports living wages, stronger labor unions, and holding corporations accountable to support working families.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Supports redirecting federal spending away from foreign military engagements and toward domestic affordability priorities, without endorsing specific tax-rate changes.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Supports expanding Medicare-type coverage toward a Medicare-For-All model and prioritizing patients over insurance company profits.
Source → - Immigration & Border
Supports abolishing ICE and protecting immigrant communities from deportation while reforming the immigration system.
Source → - Education & Schools
Supports protecting public schools, forgiving student debt, tuition-free higher education, and expanding childcare and paid family leave.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Supports expanding clean and renewable energy, making polluters pay, protecting public lands, and has pledged not to accept fossil fuel industry money.
Source → - Foreign Policy & Defense
Supports ending the conflict in Gaza and opposes AIPAC-aligned campaign funding, favoring redirection of funds from foreign military engagement to domestic priorities.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Rejects corporate PAC contributions and contributions from companies doing business with ICE, framing her campaign as funded by individual donors rather than special interests.
Source →
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