Vang's Congressional Campaign Roadshow in Lodi
Last weekend, Vang took her campaign to El Dorado Hills. This weekend, she visited Lodi, in San Joaquin County.
One of the peculiarities of this year's California Proposition 50 is that many voters will be introduced to Congress members they may not be familiar with. While sparsely populated states like Wyoming have only one Congressional representative, California has 52 members in their Congressional delegation.
This large delegation means that even a longtime serving member like Sacramento and Elk Grove's Congressional representative, Doris Matsui, who has mostly represented constituents in Sacramento County since taking office in 2005, is not familiar to voters in other counties and municipalities.
The new 7th District boundaries now include voters in El Dorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin counties. For Matsui and her primary election challenger, fellow Democrat Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, the new boundaries pose challenges for both.
For the first time since taking office, Matsui is confronted by a viable challenger. Not only will Matsui have to meet and glad-hand voters - something she has not been subjected to - but she will also have to dust off her Thomas Guide to find some of these places she has never been compelled to visit.
Even though she is the establishment Democratic candidate and aided by a large campaign fund, Matsui is not well known to these voters. Likewise, Vang, a relatively political newcomer, is not well known outside Progressive Democrat circles and the south Sacramento district she represents on the Sacramento City Council.
Seizing on the fact that Rep. Doris Matsui is in session and has been accused of primarily being domiciled in suburban Washington, DC, Vang has been actively campaigning in the new boundaries.
Last weekend, Vang took her campaign to El Dorado Hills. This weekend, she visited Lodi, in San Joaquin County (see video below).
While Vang has established a respectable campaign account balance in a short time, Matsui will undoubtedly receive significant financial support - possibly in the millions - from the Democratic establishment contributor class. Nonetheless, Vang's person-to-person outreach in the months leading up to the June primary could push both candidates out of the primary and into next November's general election.
