A candidate for Congress in California, who has made headlines for her refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and her habit of turning away from the American flag, claims her Democratic rival is in cahoots with Republicans.
Sacramento City Council member Mai Vang has leveled accusations against sitting Representative Doris Matsui, alleging that Matsui is “supporting a MAGA Republican” in an effort to push Vang out of the primary’s top-two spots. Vang argues that the uproar over her stance on the Pledge is being leveraged as part of this scheme.
Vang’s campaign pointed to Matsui’s promotion of a blog post about GOP contender Zachariah Wooden. The post highlights Wooden’s “community service experience” and his commitment to “advancing Trump’s policies.”
Kevin Liao, Matsui’s campaign spokesperson, explained to the Sacramento Bee that the intent of the post was to draw a comparison between Matsui’s positions and “radical Republican concepts.”
However, Vang’s team argues that the strategy is designed to raise Wooden’s profile, potentially eliminating Vang from the primary and enhancing Matsui’s chances of winning in the November election.
“Just days before the primary, Matsui injected $1.4 million into her campaign and directed her allied super PACs to finance and promote a MAGA Republican by any means necessary,” Vang told the Bee, which has endorsed her over Matsui, when questioned about the ongoing dispute.
“These disgusting and deceptive tactics fuel the worst of our politics, undermine trust in our institutions, and distract from the issues impacting everyday people,” Vang added.
Vang, who has been called the “AOC of the Central Valley,” has received intense criticism for regularly turning her back on the American flag during council meetings and other events.
“It’s ‘Patriotism 101,’ you say the Pledge of Allegiance even if you don’t agree with everything,” Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant in Sacramento, previously told The California Post.
Vang says she uses the Pledge of Allegiance to “ground herself” and contemplate “the injustices and harm that continue to affect so many, both locally and across the globe, under this nation’s influence.”
“We must not tune out — they want us to become numb to the realities we see in the news — it’s part of the plan to keep us complacent. But instead, we resist. We surround ourselves with loved ones, take time to rest, remain vigilant, and stay steadfast in the fight for equity, justice & humanity,” she wrote in a social media post.
Wooden previously blasted Vang’s refusal to salute the flag as “malicious.”
“To hear that somebody wants to be a sitting member of US Congress and appears to be disinterested in the major symbols of American pride and what it means to be an American, it’s not just disappointing — it’s malicious,” he told The Post.
“A lot of her rhetoric is a rejection of our basic American values.”
Vang will take on Wooden and Matsui in the June 2 primary for California’s 7th congressional district.
Matsui has served the district since her late husband and longtime incumbent, Bob, died in 2005.
