ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) – With a reelection campaign underway and a district shaped by recent redistricting, Democratic U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui said she is leaning on experience and long-standing public service as she prepares to again represent California’s 7th Congressional District.

In a recent interview with the Elk Grove Citizen, Matsui reflected on her work representing California’s 7th Congressional District and outlined the priorities shaping her 2026 reelection campaign, including health care access, infrastructure investment, climate resilience and emerging technology policy.

She said her approach to governing is grounded in lived experience and a belief that effective representation comes from understanding the communities a lawmaker serves.

“It really means that you want to make a contribution,” Matsui said. “You want to help out; you want to be part of the community and not be separate from it and engage other people, so they feel the same way too. And so that’s really the way I look at what I’m doing. It’s about, ‘How can I help?’”

Matsui has represented the Sacramento region in Congress since 2005, previously serving California’s 5th and 6th Congressional Districts, before assuming her current seat in 2023.

Today, the 7th Congressional District spans Sacramento’s urban core and extends into suburban communities such as Elk Grove and rural areas including Galt and Rancho Murieta, as well as portions of San Joaquin and El Dorado counties following recent redistricting.

Matsui noted her upbringing in Dinuba, a small Central Valley community near Fresno, as foundational to her political outlook. She explained how she grew up in a farming family and said those early experiences shaped her understanding of community responsibility and mutual support.

“In a small town, everybody knows you,” Matsui said. “People take care of each other, help each other out… and those values really stuck with me.”

Matsui said that perspective continues to inform how she approaches her work in Congress, particularly as she represents both rural and urban communities with differing needs.

Among her top priorities, Matsui said, is access to health care. Her legislative work in the area includes having advocated for the Affordable Care Act and ongoing efforts to expand access and reduce costs. She described health care affordability as one of the most pressing concerns facing constituents.

“We all know health care is too expensive,” she said. “When you have an unexpected medical bill, it can throw your whole household budget off.”

Matsui said those challenges are felt across the district, including rural communities where residents often face longer travel times to hospitals and fewer medical providers compared to urban centers such as Sacramento.

Beyond health care, Matsui said infrastructure and climate-related challenges remain central to her work, particularly flood control, wildfire risk and the state’s water supply reliability. She told the Elk Grove Citizen that shifting weather patterns and more extreme conditions underscore the need for continued investment rather than one-time solutions.

“We can’t just build infrastructure and think it’s done,” she said. “You still have to maintain it, make it better and all of that.”

During her two decades in Washington, Matsui has helped to secure funding for regional efforts, including more than $3 billion for flood control and management projects.

In agricultural areas such as Galt and surrounding parts of the county, Matsui addressed concern over rising costs and market pressures continue to affect farmers.

“Farming is really a big economic driver in California, and we have probably the most quality farming here in Sacramento County,” Matsui said. “And the cost of living is really hurting them (farmers) a great deal; I hear about that an awful a lot.”

Matsui, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said one of the most pressing emerging issues facing Congress is the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). She said AI has the potential to improve health care, research and administrative systems but also raises concerns about privacy, safety and regulation.

“It could be really helpful or really harmful,” she said. “You still need certain guardrails, and you don’t want to say you can’t do whatever, but you need to protect people.”

She added that lawmakers face a challenge in balancing innovation with oversight, particularly as federal debate continues over how aggressively to regulate the technology.

With challengers competing for the seat in the upcoming election cycle, Matsui said her message to voters in the June primary centers on experience and commitment to public service. She said her campaign is focused on offering stability given her background during what she described as a particularly uncertain time in governance.

“What is shaping my campaign is that I think this is not an ordinary time at all in this country,” she said. “And I really believe you need, at this moment, is a person with the experience.”

She added that her focus is not about political power but effectiveness in addressing urgent issues.

“This is not about wanting power,” Matsui said. “It’s about trying to do the best thing and the most effective thing.”

Across the interview, Matsui returned repeatedly to the idea of public service as the foundation of her work in Congress. She said her perspective is shaped by both her upbringing and her long experience in public office, where she said helping constituents remains the central motivation.

Looking ahead, Matsui said her focus remains on representing the diverse needs of Sacramento-area communities using the same tools that have yielded results for progress in the region while continuing work on national policy challenges.

“The work I do is really for the benefit of my constituents,” she said. “It’s about making sure people have a better life.”

https://www.egcitizen.com/2026/04/01/568662/a-sit-down-with-doris-matsui