Press Release: Mai Vang Announces Run for Congress: “It’s Time to Fight for Working Families”
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang officially announced her candidacy for Congress, declaring that working families deserve new leadership with the courage to take on the urgent challenges of our time.
“We are living through dangerous times. The status quo won’t protect and save our communities and loved ones – and that’s why I’m running for Congress,” said Vang. “The cost of living is rising, inequality is deepening, immigrant neighbors are under attack, and politics-as-usual has left too many of us behind. Families can’t wait any longer. We need leaders ready to step into the ring and fight.”
Vang’s life and career have been defined by that fight. The daughter of Hmong refugees and the eldest of 16 siblings, she has been organizing on the frontlines since her youth. As a community organizer, she fought to keep neighborhood schools open. As a Councilmember, she championed investments for youth, seniors, and underserved neighborhoods. Now, she is stepping up once again to deliver for the people of her district in Washington, D.C.
“When you don’t have money, you fight for everything you have – and for everything your community deserves to survive and thrive,” said Vang. “I’ve been a fighter my entire life, and I’ll bring that same heart and hustle to Congress.”
Her campaign will center working families, refusing corporate PAC money, and standing up to billionaires and special interests. “We’re not here to beg for a seat at the table,” Vang added. “We’re here to build our own – because great generations aren’t born, they’re made in moments like this.”
Mai Vang’s candidacy represents a people-powered alternative to politics-as-usual, and her campaign is calling on voters to imagine, believe in, and fight for a future where every family has the chance to thrive.
About Mai Vang
Mai Vang is the daughter of Hmong refugees, a lifelong South Sacramento resident, and a proud product of local public schools. She has dedicated her career to organizing, policymaking, and public service. On the Sacramento City Council, she helped establish the Sacramento Children’s Fund, expanded access to health resources, and led efforts to deliver culturally responsive services to immigrant and refugee families. Her historic election would make her the country’s first Hmong American to serve in Congress.
The primary election will be held on June 2, 2026.
Read her full statement below.
We are living through dangerous times. The status quo isn’t protecting our families, and that’s why I’m running for Congress.
The challenges facing working families are urgent: the rising cost of living, little access to healthcare, deepening inequality, immigrant neighbors under attack, and entire communities left behind by politics-as-usual.
This fight is deeply personal for me; it’s personal for all of us.
When you don’t come from money, you fight for everything you have — and for everything your community needs to survive and thrive.
As the daughter of Hmong refugees, the eldest of 16, a community organizer, and a policymaker, I’ve been a fighter my entire life. You can count on me to bring that same heart & hustle to Washington, D.C.
As an organizer, I stepped into the ring to fight for our families when neighborhood schools were closing;
As a councilmember, I stepped into the ring to fight for our youth, seniors, families, and underserved neighborhoods;
And now, I’m stepping into the ring once again to fight for the people and working families in our region.
The people are demanding change because housing has become unaffordable, food prices are skyrocketing, and it’s harder than ever to find doctors who will see us. We are ready – and we won’t wait any longer – for change.
The future is not predetermined – it is shaped by us – those willing to imagine a better tomorrow, believe it is possible, and won’t stop fighting until we create that better future.
We need new leadership that will prioritize the people, not go along to get along with the corporate PACs. When I’m elected, my only focus will be the working people I represent.
While the establishment waits on the sidelines, unwilling to have our backs, our families are going hungry, our elderly are getting sicker, and our children are struggling.
We’re not here to beg for a seat at the table; we are here to demand it. If history has taught us anything, it's that great generations aren’t born, they’re made in moments like this.
I’m running for Congress to finally give the people a real choice and a real voice for working families.
Together, we can make our region - and our country - better for all of us.
