by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News May 24, 2026

A Democrat Sacramento city council member who is currently running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has continually turned her back on the flag and refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at council meetings.

Mai Vang, whose Hmong family fled to America from Laos after the U.S. withdrew from the Vietnam War, is seeking to unseat longtime Democrat Rep. Doris Matsui in the June 2 primary election in California’s newly redrawn 7th Congressional District.

The redrawn 7th district now includes more conservative areas like Lodi, Placerville and El Dorado Hills.

San Joaquin Republican Party chairman David Cushman told The California Post that Vang is attempting to replicate the image of New York socialist Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez:

“Her strategy is badly misjudged and a really bad fit for the district. She’s trying to be the AOC of the Central Valley, but this is not the same district as AOC’s or even Nancy Pelosi’s district [in San Francisco].”

Vang’s refusal to take part in the Pledge before included at a Veterans Day ceremony last year.

Vang celebrated her refusal to cite the Pledge in a Facebook post in February 2025 that included the hashtag “FreePalestine.”

It read in part:

“This is exactly why I choose not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during every council meeting. As much as I love this country, I use that moment to ground myself – to center our communities and remind myself of 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. We got us. I love you all.”

Steve Maviglio, a Democrat political consultant in Sacramento, called Vang’s actions “completely disrespectful to veterans and their families.”

“It’s ‘Patriotism 101,’ you say the Pledge of Allegiance even if you don’t agree with everything,” Maviglio said. “You can’t say the Pledge of Allegiance — that’s how extreme you are? Come on.”

Vang is polling neck-and-neck with the incumbent and slightly ahead of Republican Zachariah Wooden, the California Post reported.

California Republican Party chair Corrin Rankin said of Vang and her Democrat colleagues in the state: “Too much contempt for law enforcement, too little respect for our country, and no understanding of what Californians value. Voters want leaders who respect the police and honor our flag. When a candidate cannot meet that basic test, it tells voters everything they need to know.”

Wooden, the Republican and first-time candidate who has a shot at finishing in the top two spots against Vang or the incumbent and advancing to the November runoff, told The California Post:

“To hear that somebody wants to be a sitting member of U.S. 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. A lot of her rhetoric is a rejection of our basic American values.”

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  Sacramento Democrat running for Congress turns back on flag, won’t recite Pledge of Allegiance, WorldTribune.com