Press Release - Sacramento Bee: “The Sacramento Bee won’t be endorsing veteran Democrat Doris Matsui”
“Matsui’s rejection represents a step backward in local democracy and election transparency.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 7, 2026
SACRAMENTO, CA – The Sacramento Bee has publicly announced that they will not endorse incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui after she refused to participate in either endorsement interviews or a candidate debate hosted by the paper. According to columnist Marcos Breton, Mai Vang “offers a challenge that Matsui has never faced before, there are undoubtedly political people in Sacramento who would say Matsui’s decision to reject our invitations was tactical.”
In response to the paper’s announcement, Sacramento City Councilmember and candidate for California’s 7th Congressional District Mai Vang said “Throughout this campaign, Rep. Matsui has avoided hard questions from the press. She does not want to discuss her record of voting for billions in funding for ICE or the fact that she’s taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies that help ICE carry out Trump’s deportation machine and profit from Trump’s illegal war in Iran. Voters want representatives who are transparent and accountable. Rep. Matsui’s refusal to engage with our region’s main paper is an insult to voters. I’m running to give voters a distinct choice on the ballot–someone who can meet this moment with moral clarity and transparency.”
The link to the full piece can be found here with relevant excerpts below:
“Matsui’s rejection represents a step backward in local democracy and election transparency. A member of Congress for 20 years should be able to walk into any room, meet with anyone and answer any and all questions.
Instead, Matsui is the most notable political candidate in California and the only frontline Democrat who has declined to meet with us.
When we interview candidates for office, we are not just representing ourselves. We are representing voters and citizens who will read our endorsements for information they need about the candidates and the issues. As the editor, my personal guarantee to all candidates is that they will be treated respectfully. We know it’s hard to run for political office, and those who do deserve our respect.
Through her actions, Matsui is saying that her political interests are more important than the interests of the public to hear from their political leaders. A candidate who refuses to participate is putting conditions on how accessible they will be with the public.
As someone who has worked at The Sacramento Bee for 36 years, I remember how Robert Matsui was always available.
Doris Matsui’s refusal to participate in a process she can’t control is a disappointing turn in a city where a Matsui has represented Sacramento in Congress for 47 years. It’s sad that’s the reason why we won’t be endorsing her.”
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