In a race for California Congressional District 7 dominated by Democrats, this year’s candidates are seeing party incumbents age out and younger candidates breaking in.

The race exemplifies the shift seen in the Democratic party across the country. The youngest candidate, Zachariah Wooden, is 24 years old, while the incumbent, Doris Matsui, is the oldest candidate running at 81 years old.

Despite about 66% of young voters aged 18 to 24 associating with the Democratic party, incumbents are not giving up their spots. This election cycle, 80 Gen Z and Millennial candidates across the country are challenging incumbents over the age of 65.

Mai Vang, who is 40 years old, and Matsui are the top contenders, having raised $598,232 and $1,343,150 in campaign financing, respectively. Voters can make their choice in the primary election on June 2, 2026.

Congressional District 7 starts in the Central Valley, including Elk Grove, parts of Sacramento and ends in the El Dorado Hills. Even after the Proposition 50 redrawing, party affiliation remains majority Democrat.

Congressional District 7 after Proposition 50 redistricting. Congressional District 7 includes the Sacramento State campus. (Map courtesy of Cal Matters)

RELATED: Sac State community buzzing: Students react to Prop 50 ballot box sweep

Mai Vang

Vang, a Democrat, is currently a Sacramento District 8 councilmember. District 8 encompasses parts of South Sacramento, including Consumes River College.

“I think what differs me and Doris, my opponent, is that I don’t take any corporate PAC money,” Vang said.

A PAC, or political action committee, is a non-profit organization that takes money from several donors to support a candidate. Federal elections have contribution limits that individuals or parties can give to a candidate’s campaign, so PACs provide a way around this.

Vang said establishment Democrats and Republicans created the conditions that exist in politics today. This system locks out young people, she said.

“One out of five newly registered voters in Sacramento County are not registering as Democrats, and a big part of that is because the Democratic Party has lost touch with working families and with young people,” Vang said.

Vang was driven by a sense of urgency to run against Matsui, not just age, she said. She said fighting for working families was more important than ever, spurring her campaign.

“In this moment, young people, Millennials, Gen Z, will have to inherit a world that we didn’t create, and it’s important that they’re at the decision making table shaping those decisions,” Vang said.

Doris Matsui

Doris Matsui is the Democratic incumbent for Congressional District 7 and has been representing the district since 2005. She was selected in a special election to fill the seat of her husband, Robert Matsui, who served the district from 1979 until his passing in 2005.

“Judge me on my work, not my birth certificate,” Matsui said. “At this moment, more than ever before, experience matters. This isn’t about clinging to power. It’s about being effective when the stakes are highest.”

Increasing affordability, creating good paying jobs and holding ICE and the Trump administration accountable are most important to her campaign, Matsui said.

“I’ve repeatedly led oversight visits to the John E. Moss Federal Building, where ICE is detaining people in downtown Sacramento,” Matsui said. “We must continue holding the administration accountable for violating the law and our civil rights.”

Matsui said she recognizes the same fear in families in the community that her own family felt. For that reason, she is running for re-election to deliver results that make her constituent’s lives better, she said.

“I was born in a Japanese internment camp on American soil. Injustice is something I’ve lived, not something I read in a textbook,” Matsui said.

Enayat Nazhat

Enayat Nazhat is a Democrat running to represent Congressional District 7. He said if elected, he would ask the same question of every bill he voted on: how does it benefit an American citizen?

“Representative Matsui, who I’m running against in this race, is one of the people who is empowering Israel and IDF to commit a genocide and kill civilians and children in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Iran and other nations,” Nazhat said. “Back in 2024, Representative Matsui voted yes on a bill to send 26 billion dollars of aid to Israel.”

Before running for Congress, Nazhat said he was building a start-up company whose goal will be providing opportunities for younger people to get into politics.

“Establishment Democrats are making it extremely hard for younger people to be involved in politics and get into politics,” Nazhat said. “The Democratic party is completely inaccessible for people like me.”

Nazhat said if the Democratic party continues down the current path, more Americans will realize that the party is not working for them.

“It’s not just enough to be young,” Nazhat said. “You need to have the initiative, the ideas and the experience that once you are in the United States Congress, you’re able to do something for the people and not just grab onto power and stay there.”

Ralph Nwobi

Ralph Nwobi is a Republican running against incumbent Doris Matsui. This is not his first time challenging Matsui, as he ran for Congress in 2018.

“As a former prosecutor, I look at it like the situation where you actually have to hold people accountable,” Nwobi said.

Nwobi said age is a leading issue in the race.

“The incumbent right now, she’s a multi-millionaire, her husband is also a multi-millionaire, and she’s been there for a while,” Nwobi said. “So, she’s simply out of touch.”

Nwobi said if elected, he would push for term limits for politicians, suggesting a cap for those 78 years old or older.

While no age cap has yet been set for Congress, 80% of Americans support imposing a maximum age limit for candidates running for the Senate or the House of Representatives. Since 2025, five members of Congress have died in office.

“At that age, people should be retiring so that they should pave the way for people that are young and more vibrant to actually come in with fresh, new, bold ideas to help improve the lives of constituents,” Nwobi said.

Robby Morin

Robby Morin is a Democrat running against Matsui. Housing, healthcare and access to education are most important to his campaign, he said.

“They’re just not accessible anymore. And there are reasons for that and things that I think the government is uniquely qualified to go out and solve for,” Morin said.

Morin said a lot had to go right for him to work hard to build a business and a life for himself. He said he has seen friends struggling to buy a home or have consistent healthcare coverage.

“We’ve had the same person for 20 years, the whole time that this issue is getting worse and worse, day by day, year by year,” Morin said,

In any party, young candidates will walk into barriers that the older generations have created to hold onto their power, he said.

“I think over the next decade, you’re only going to see it build more and more, whether that’s because we’re successful and we kind of push them out, or whether they come to their senses and realize that maybe they have stuck around for too long, it’s time to let the next generation lead,” Morin said.

When and where to vote:

Students may vote by mail in the primary election if they are registered to vote in Sacramento County. Sacramento State will hold a vote center in Modoc Hall, Willow Suites 1-3 on election day, June 2, 2026. Ballot drop boxes will also be available at the Welcome Center between May 4 and June 2, 2026.

The State Hornet reached out to Republican candidate Zachariah Wooden for comment but did not receive a response by press time.