Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) advanced to the November ballot on Friday after fending off a reelection challenge from Sacramento City Council member Mai Vang, a fellow Democrat, in California’s primary election.
Matsui, 81, has held the state’s 7th Congressional District seat since 2005, when she won the special election following the death of her husband, former Rep. Bob Matsui. In a statement, Matsui said she would “earn the trust of voters for another term in Congress.”
Under California’s top-two primary system, candidates from all parties compete on a single ballot, and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. The second slot on the November ballot has not yet been determined, with vote counting still underway. Vang issued a statement saying she was “optimistic with the direction in which the count is moving.”
“This is what people power looks like,” Vang said.
Matsui was one of several older House Democrats who faced primary challenges from younger candidates this year. Two others — Reps. Brad Sherman in Los Angeles and Mike Thompson in Northern California — also advanced past their primary opponents in their respective districts.