A generational shift that has already played out in other elections across the country is now happening in Lodi and the northern reaches of San Joaquin County.
The race for California’s newly redrawn 7th congressional district, which split Lodi into three districts following last year’s passage of Proposition 50, pits veteran U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, 81, against a more liberal challenger nearly half her age: Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang.
Matsui has served in the U.S. House for 21 years, and the start of her political career dates back to Bill Clinton’s presidency in 1992.
Vang, a fellow Democrat, was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020. She bested Matsui in the June primary by just over 4,500 votes, setting up the faceoff in the November general election.
Being anything less than the top vote-getter is something Matsui has never encountered. In 10 general elections, she has always won by outsized margins, garnering two-thirds of the votes or more.
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Now, however, she finds herself in the same predicament that has troubled other long-term officeholders around the country. After then-President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate in June 2024 paved the way for Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a new generation of Democrats has either succeeded or attempted to push out more senior incumbents.
“It’s the kind if intraparty conflict that’s played out across the country,” said Keith Smith, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. “It’s an argument that the party establishment is not doing its job.”
The challenges have been stacking up. Two months ago in Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, 46, ousted longtime U.S. Rep. John Larson, 78, in the primary and is now facing off against a Republican challenger in the Nov. 3 general election. In Texas, freshman Rep. Christian Menefee, 38, defeated veteran U.S. Rep. Al Green, 78, for the Democratic nomination. Larson and Green had previously served 27 and 21 years in Congress, respectively.
But younger intraparty challenges don’t always succeed. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, 80, beat back U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, in the Democratic primary in Massachusetts.
For Matsui, the newly reshaped District 7, redrawn to include farm and ranchlands in northern and eastern San Joaquin County, may play a role in the election. Rural communities often include more conservative voters than Matsui’s home turf in Sacramento. More moderate voters may be more likely to cast their ballot for Matsui than Vang, her more liberal 41-year-old opponent.
Age aside, both candidates have strong ethnic roots.
Matsui was born in a Japanese American internment camp in Arizona during World War II. She attended high school in the Central Valley community of Dinuba, in Tulare County, and later attended UC Berkeley. She served in the White House during President Clinton’s two terms in office, before succeeding her husband, Rep. Robert Matsui, in Congress after he died in 2005. She currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
Vang’s parents were Hmong refugees from Laos. She is the oldest of 16 children. She earned bachelors degrees in biology and sociology from the University of San Francisco and dual master’s degrees in public health and Asian American Studies from UCLA. She previously served on the Sacramento City Unified School Board. In addition to her current work on the City Council, the Sacramento native teaches ethnic studies at Sacramento State.
While both Matsui and Vang share party affiliations, they make it clear they have different approaches in politics.
During a debate hosted by the League of Women’s Voters in August, the candidates were asked how Congress could limit presidential power and make sure allocated funds are spent.
Matsui emphasized her legislative prowess to build coalitions and work to pass legislation. She said she looks forward to being able to issue subpoenas to hold the Trump administration accountable if Democrats take back the House in the midterms.
“You have to have the relationships. You have to understand the process,” she said.
Vang, however, countered that even when Democrats held power in both Congress and the White House, they didn’t bring about dramatic change.
“What type of Democrats do you want to go back and transform this country?” Vang asked.
They also differ on the issues. Both want to widen healthcare protections for more Americans, but Matsui says Medicare for All is “not a panacea.” It’s just one narrow approach, she said.
Vang advocates for Medicare for All, which she said won’t cost any more than what’s currently being spent on healthcare because the present system is so costly.
Vang has publicly called the Israeli armed forces’ killing of Palestinians a “genocide,” while Matsui has backed away from using that term.
“This is a place where we have to understand we can say that word over and over again. It doesn’t bring us to a solution here,” Matsui said. “When you start pointing fingers, people go into a corner.”
The two women also quibble with each other when it comes to the source of campaign contributions. Vang has called out Matsui, saying she has accepted donations from corporate interests and military contractors. A political action committee, meanwhile, is running an ad that portrays Vang as having accepted money from casino executives, developers and other business interests.
As of June 30, the most recent data from the Federal Election Commission, Matsui had contributions and loans totaling $3.2 million. Vang had $1.1 million.
No matter the outcome of the Nov. 3 election, Vang will have accomplished a lot in her campaign simply by playing to a wider voting audience. Should she lose, that recognition could make the difference in future elections, especially if Matsui decides to retire.
“She’s in a good position to run again,” said Joel Blank, a political science professor at Delta College.