Overview of How Progressive Candidates Counter Big Money
This interview features Mai Vang, Sacramento City Council member and Democratic challenger to longtime Congresswoman Doris Matsui in California’s 7th District, discussing why she entered the race and how she’s trying to build a grassroots, working-class coalition against a well-funded incumbent. Vang frames her campaign around urgency on immigration, affordability, anti-corruption politics, and a belief that organized people can beat big money.
Mai Vang’s Background and Political Story
- Vang describes herself as:
- The daughter of Hmong refugees
- The eldest of 16 children
- A Sacramento native raised on Medi-Cal, food stamps, and WIC
- She says public assistance helped her family survive and shaped her commitment to public service.
- Her education and activism path included:
- First in her family to attend college
- University of San Francisco for undergrad
- UCLA for graduate study in public health policy and Asian American studies
- She says learning the history of the Hmong people and the U.S. role in the “secret war in Laos” was a political awakening.
- Before Congress, she worked as:
- A community organizer in South Sacramento
- A school board member
- A Sacramento City Council member
Why She Chose to Run Against Doris Matsui
- Vang says she didn’t initially want to challenge Matsui and first tried to meet with her to discuss immigration and community concerns.
- Her frustration grew after:
- Not hearing from the congresswoman for months after Trump’s reelection
- Feeling that Matsui’s response to immigration issues lacked urgency
- A key moment came during their meeting at the Matsui Federal Building, where Vang says she left disappointed by the lack of a clear position on immigration.
- She argues the district needs leaders who understand the daily struggles of working families and are willing to act quickly.
Core Issues in the Campaign
Immigration and ICE
- Vang says immigration is one of the main reasons she ran.
- She supports abolishing ICE, arguing it cannot be meaningfully reformed because of its role in detaining, separating, and targeting immigrants and refugees.
- She emphasizes:
- Protecting families from deportation
- Funding legal aid
- Creating family protection plans
- Preventing city property from being used to assist ICE operations
Affordability and Corruption
- On the doors, she says voters are focused on:
- Housing
- Health care
- Cost of living
- Rooting out corruption
- She frames the race as part of a broader backlash against establishment politicians who, in her view, are too influenced by corporate money and too slow to respond to urgent community needs.
Her Contrast with Matsui
- Vang presents herself as the more independent and activist-driven candidate:
- She does not take corporate PAC money
- She does not take money from ICE contractors
- She says she does not profit from stock trading tied to companies like GEO Group
- She argues this independence allows her to move with more urgency on immigration and working-class issues.
- She also rejects a negative ad campaign against her, saying claims about missed council meetings are misleading and based on joint powers authority/committee meetings rather than city council absences.
Campaign Strategy and Political Climate
- Vang says she and her supporters overcame a major financial disadvantage:
- Outspent 3-to-1 in the primary
- Still finished first in California’s top-two primary
- She says many voters are frustrated with the political establishment, including within the Democratic Party.
- She also notes concern about low Democratic registration among new voters and sees that as a warning sign that the party is not speaking clearly enough to working families.
Big Takeaways
- Vang’s campaign is built on a message of:
- Grassroots organizing
- Immigrant and refugee protection
- Working-class advocacy
- Anti-corporate politics
- Generational change
- She sees the race as proof that a community organizer can compete with entrenched power.
- Her central belief is summed up by her line: “We don’t have the money, but we have the many.”
- She closes with confidence that organized volunteers, authentic messaging, and modern grassroots tactics can beat wealth and institutional backing.
Call to Action
- Vang asks listeners to support her campaign by:
- Donating
- Phone banking
- Volunteering
- Campaign site mentioned:
- my4us.com
- She says the campaign is down to the final stretch and needs additional funds to keep ads running.