Ballots continue to be processed across the state and the second spot in the primary race for Sacramento’s 7th congressional seat remains too early and too close to determine.
The race has been one of the most closely watched contests in the region and comes after months of back-and-forth between the campaigns.
As of Friday, early afternoon, Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui holds the lead with 30% of the total votes counted. Sacramento State student and 25-year-old Republican Zachariah Wooden is ahead by about 100 votes of Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang. Still, only half of the ballots submitted have been counted. The top two, regardless of party affiliation, will head into a runoff election in November.
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Matsui has represented the Sacramento area for two decades. She took the seat after a special election following the death of her husband, former Congressman Robert Matsui. Vang is running a progressive campaign following a nationwide trend of younger progressives challenging establishment Democrats. The Republican candidate, Wooden, is running for office for the first time.
On election night, Vang was optimistic about advancing to the top two and urged her supporters to be patient as ballots are tallied.
"We're going to wait for every ballot to be counted," Vang said. "I'm just so proud of the grassroots campaign that we ran. We've knocked on over 40,000 doors, have made over 38,000 phone calls.”
Vang later said she plans to continue focusing on the same issues of free health care and affordability if she advances to the general election.
"Doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, a Republican, or have no party affiliation. So many of our families are struggling in this moment," she said. "We're going to focus on the issues impacting people's lives. That's what we did during this campaign during the primary. We're going to continue to do that until November."
California elections can take weeks to decide as counties process mailed-in ballots after Election Day. The state counts ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day and can arrive up to seven days later.
Sacramento City Councilmember Karina Talamantes, who endorsed Vang, said she believes many of the last-minute ballots that are waiting to be counted could favor Democrats.
"I do think that the votes that will come in do tend to be more Democratic, do tend to be younger and do tend to be more progressive," she said.
Wooden, meanwhile, says his campaign's performance reflects the grassroots support he built and voters ultimately being displeased with the incumbent’s leadership.
California’s District 7 Congressional Candidates, from left, Enayat Nazhat, Doris Matsui, Zachariah Wooden, Ralph Nwobi, Mai Vang, and Robby Morin participate in a forum moderated by the League of Women Voters on April 2, 2026.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio"It is a very close result so far. There are a lot of votes left to be counted," Wooden said. "I'm very thankful to the supporters, volunteers and voters for a lot of the support that they've shown my campaign."
The battle for second place comes after weeks of accusations from Vang and her supporters that Matsui allies attempted to boost Wooden's candidacy through California's top-two primary system.
The criticism from Vang’s campaign claimed that Matsui’s campaign identified Wooden as the Republican choice in the race. Vang and her supporters argued that Matsui would benefit from facing a Republican in November rather than another Democrat.
Wooden rejected the suggestion that his support comes from Matsui trying to boost his name.
"There is genuine support for my campaign regardless of what the other candidates are up to," he said. "I've got the endorsement of the Republicans in Sacramento County and San Joaquin County.”
Before the election, Republican political strategist Rob Stutzman said it was a strategy that Matsui could use to win.
"We've seen the Matsui campaign take on the tactic of trying to help Republican voters consolidate around one Republican, with the hopes of that Republican pushing through and avoiding a messy and expensive runoff with Vang," Stutzman said.
Matsui's campaign rejected the accusation that she would help a Republican. Campaign Strategist Roger Salazar said Congresswoman Matsui "knows exactly what's at stake with MAGA Republicans like Zachariah Wooden" and remains focused on helping Democrats regain control of the House.
Matsui also emphasized her record of opposing President Donald Trump and voting to impeach him twice in his first term while speaking on election night.
"I have fought against Donald Trump. I fought against ICE. I really believe that health care is fundamental and we need universal health care," she said.
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