Democrat · California's 7th District · 2026
Mai Vang
Vang grew up in Sacramento as the oldest of 16 children, helping her parents, Hmong refugees from Laos, raise her siblings.
Biography
Mai Vang is the eldest of 16 children raised by Hmong refugees from Laos in Sacramento.1 She says her family relied on SNAP and Medicaid.2 Today, she lives in Meadowview and enjoys hiking with her dog, Coffee, and spending time with her siblings.1
She earned bachelor's degrees in biology and sociology at the University of San Francisco, followed by master's degrees in public health and Asian American studies at UCLA.1 Her earlier work included directing the Buck Scholars Association, which provides scholarships and mentoring for students with limited resources.1 She has also taught ethnic studies at Sacramento State and Asian American studies at UC Davis.1
Vang helped found Hmong Innovating Politics and won election to the Sacramento City Unified school board in 2016.1 She joined the City Council after the November 2020 election.3 She helped champion Measure L, the 2022 measure establishing Sacramento's Children's Fund and dedicating city revenue to youth services.4
Her congressional platform calls for Medicare for All, more affordable housing, tuition free higher education, expanded child care and paid family leave.2 She also proposes a moratorium on new data centers and says she would not trade stocks in Congress.2 Vang faces fellow Democrat and incumbent Doris Matsui in November's race for California's 7th District.5
Record and controversies
Scholarship complaint and record check
In May 2026, former school board president Jay Hansen filed an FPPC complaint questioning whether Vang had made the scholarship donations she had publicly described.6 The Sacramento Bee checked campaign filings and found $9,000 donated between 2023 and 2025 to Gifts To Share, a nonprofit that allows donations designated for the Heart and Hustle Scholarship.6 Vang said her contributions were properly recorded.6 After the newspaper's check, Hansen said he intended to withdraw the complaint.6
Board attendance and disputed replacement claim
About both candidates: Mai Vang and Doris Matsui
In October 2026, the Sacramento Bee reported that Vang had missed about half the monthly meetings of the regional transit and air quality boards in 2024.7 Her campaign cited 16 board, commission and committee assignments, while the report noted that meetings can overlap.7 Matsui's campaign also linked Vang's replacement on the Sacramento Transportation Authority to four consecutive absences; city staff described the change as part of a broader reshuffling.7