This story first appeared in Power Shift, The Yappie's weekly newsletter on national AAPI power, politics, and influence. Subscribe for free here.
The race to represent California’s 7th District in Congress is giving us a glimpse into how AAPIs perceive Democratic politics as tensions between establishment leaders and new, progressive voices heat up.
The latest: The Sacramento Bee endorsed Mai Vang over incumbent Doris Matsui this past week in an editorial that criticized Matsui for avoiding “the hard questions voters deserve to hear answered.”
- The second most senior Asian American member of the House, Matsui has held the seat since 2005. Now 82, she has the support of prominent politicians like outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The challenger: Vang, who is half of Matsui’s age, is betting on voters who want a fresh face, especially among AAPI youth who have shifted further left in recent years. “If seniority would have saved us, we wouldn't be here today,” she told ABC10.
Behind the scenes: Despite Matsui’s tenure and role in establishing the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, she hasn’t accumulated the same level of visibility as other AAPI leaders. She treads cautiously on several hot button issues—like Medicare for all, which she said needs more research in an August debate.
- A Bee analysis also found that Matsui voted for five spending packages between 2019 and 2024, amounting to nearly $42 billion to the immigration agency. (She has opposed ICE funding since President Donald Trump assumed office.)
Vang, on the other hand, has staked out policy positions further left—supporting Medicare for All and the abolishment of ICE. In the primary, she beat Matsui by about 2% of voters (roughly 4,500), per the New York Times.
Our take: Vang and Matsui’s competition parallels races around the country that could determine the Democratic Party’s future, where younger candidates with more populist economic and social views are threatening older, more centrist incumbents’ grip on power.
- In a district where about a quarter of eligible voters are AAPI, Matsui and Vang’s face-off will signal how AAPI communities react to growing rifts in the Democratic Party.
Editor’s note: This newsletter has been updated to reflect that Matsui helped create the White House Initiative on AAPIs and opposed ICE funding under the second Trump administration.
About The Yappie: The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to tracking Asian American and Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Learn more at theyappie.com/about.
