Rep. Matsui Taken to Task by Progressive Democratic Critic
Interestingly, since Mai Vang's entrance into the race, Rep. Matsui has become more visible and held a rare, hastily scheduled town hall meeting last week.
With Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang's candidacy challenging fellow Democrat Congresswoman Doris Matsui gaining national attention, a former 7th Congressional District Democrat candidate has continued to comment on the race. That former candidate was Erica Lee, who dropped out after Vang entered.
As a progressive Democrat, Lee is making pointed comments on Matsui, who has served in Congress for over 20 years, representing Sacramento constituents. An example of the criticism came as a comment on a Facebook video post by Ms. Matsui (see video below).
In yesterday's video, Matsui asserted that, amidst the federal shutdown, the Trump administration could fund the SNAP nutrition program, which is set to be temporarily suspended on November 1.
Matsui's commentary drew over 380 comments, but the remarks from Lee appeared at the top of the queue as the most relevant. In her comments, Lee said:
"You have to read every word. At your town hall, you read your entire opening speech from a binder. Right now, your DC staff aren't even answering the phones and the young woman who usually answers the phone said your team would publish the town hall from last Thursday online yet it's nowhere to be found. We know WHY you don't want it shared because it ended with you sulking off the stage but you should want everyone to see your thoughts on the government shutdown, right? (For those who wish to see it, you can find it right here. Sacramento DSA filmed the entire thing. https://www.instagram.com/p/DQLNhNnkesy/ )"
There were dozens of comments criticising Matsui and the Democratic Party for the shutdown, which appeared to be from Trump supporters. There were comments supporting Matsui, while Lee's comments primarily targeted Matsui, based on what is characterized as a lack of engagement.
Interestingly, since Vang's entrance into the race, Ms. Matsui has become more visible and held a rare, hastily scheduled town hall meeting last week. Given the heat Matsui is taking from the progressive wing of her party and their willingness to stake out positions the establishment Democrats try to avoid, expect to see more of this type of critical scrutiny of Matsui.
