Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 7
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Mai Vang — Democratic
- Doris Matsui — Democratic
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
The sitting member finished second. Mai Vang led the June 2 primary with 31.2% and Representative Doris Matsui, who has held this seat since 2005, took 29.1% — a 2.1-point deficit for a twenty-one-year incumbent. Both are Democrats, so November is a same-party contest. The district covers Sacramento.
The winner holds one of 435 seats in the U.S. House for a two-year term. A member introduces bills, sits on committees that shape federal legislation, votes on the federal budget and on war powers, and handles casework between constituents and federal agencies. Seniority governs committee standing, and two decades of it is a substantial asset for a district.
With two Democrats on the ballot, party is not the axis, and the June result reframes everything else: a twenty-one-year member of Congress with 6 career laws and three times the money finished second. Weigh the value of deep seniority — which is real and which this district would lose — against a primary electorate that has just signalled it is willing to give it up.
Mai Vang
Democrat, who led the June primary with 31.2% of the vote against a long-serving incumbent. She raised $1,086,084, of which $1,025,372 came from individuals and $53,827 from PACs and committees. She has not served in the U.S. Congress.
Strengths
She outpolled a twenty-one-year member of Congress while raising a third as much, with almost all of her funding from named individuals.
Trade-offs
She led with 31.2% in a fragmented field, and has no federal record to be judged on.
Keep in mind
Electing her means this district trades two decades of accumulated seniority for a first-term member.
Doris Matsui
Democrat, the sitting Representative for this district since 2005. She has sponsored 26 bills in the 119th Congress, and 6 of her career bills have become law — among the stronger counts in the delegation. She raised $3,192,087, including $936,964 from PACs and committees.
Strengths
Twenty-one years of seniority and 6 career laws, a strong House record and committee standing no newcomer could match.
Trade-offs
She finished second in her own primary despite raising three times her challenger's total.
Keep in mind
An incumbent of this tenure trailing in a primary is among the clearest signals on this ballot, and it is the thing to weigh against her record.
Record in office
Mai Vang has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Doris Matsui (Democratic) has served in the U.S. House since 2005 and has sponsored 27 bills in the 119th Congress; 6 of their career bills have become law. Per Congress.gov and the public-domain congress-legislators roster, retrieved 2026-08-10.
Record details
Matsui — Committees: Energy and Commerce Matsui — HJRES 27 (2021): Providing for the appointment of Barbara Barrett as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Matsui — HR 941 (2021): TRANSPLANT Act of 2021 Matsui — HJRES 87 (2020): Providing for the reappointment of Michael M. Lynton as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record.
Financial info
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Self-funding
Mai Vang
$1,086,084 raised
- Individuals$1,025,37295%
- PACs & committees$53,8275%
Doris Matsui
$3,192,087 raised
- Individuals$840,02426%
- PACs & committees$936,96429%
- Self-funding$1,415,10044%
1Total raised is all receipts for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are FEC filings through June 30, 2026, per the FEC bulk campaign-finance summaries, retrieved 2026-08-22.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (95/100) · 5 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- unitedstates.github.io (opens in a new tab)congress-legislators — current members of Congress (unitedstates project)
- api.congress.gov (opens in a new tab)Congress.gov — member sponsored legislation (Library of Congress)
- fec.gov (opens in a new tab)FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)
Last updated August 11, 2026.