The Winner

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) won reelection in California’s 7th Congressional District, defeating fellow Democrat Mai Vang), a Sacramento City Council member, 53.3% to 46.7%. With about 88% of votes counted, Matsui led 124,027 to 108,703, a margin of 15,324 votes, according to Associated Press election results. The AP called the race at 4:46 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, Nov. 10, one week after the election. ​

Matsui, 82, has held the Sacramento-area seat since 2005, and Vang, 41, ran as part of a wave of younger Democrats challenging longtime party incumbents. Matsui returns to a House where her party now holds the majority after Democrats won control of the chamber.

The Race

Vang finished first in the June 2 top-two primary with 31.2% of the vote to Matsui’s 29.1%, ahead of Republican Zachariah Wooden at 21.9%, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview. Both of California’s U.S. senators endorsed Matsui, while Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party and the Sacramento chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America backed Vang.

Before the election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ballrated it Safe Democratic. With two Democrats on the ballot, the seat was never at risk of changing parties.

The district was redrawn under Proposition 50, the congressional map California voters approved in November 2025. It takes in about half of the city of Sacramento, all of Elk Grove and El Dorado Hills, and part of Lodi, according to the California Senate Office of Demographics. It is home to about 764,100 people, with a median household income of about $94,100. About 34.9% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 34.8% white, 27.3% Hispanic, 23.4% Asian and 10.1% Black.

What’s Next

Matsui’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. She is the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee and also sits on its Energy Subcommittee. Democrats will chair the committee and its subcommittees in the new Congress.

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