Sacramento's Working Class Deserves a Seat at the Table
Meet
Erica
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Meet Erica Lee
A New Generation of Leadership for California’s 7th District
Hi, I’m Erica. I’m not a millionaire. I don’t have corporate PACs funding my campaign. And I’m not a career politician. I’m a renter, a caregiver, a former state worker, and someone who’s spent her life fighting for people like us.
I’ve lobbied Congress to fix a broken healthcare system after losing my mom to cancer. I’ve worked inside our prisons and inside Congress. I’ve seen how power works—and how it leaves everyday people behind. I’m running for Congress because Sacramento deserves more than another wealthy incumbent. We deserve leadership that listens, acts, and represents us.
Why I'm Running
Because Sacramento Deserves Representation That Knows Its Reality
Too many people in Sacramento feel like no one in Washington is fighting for them, and they’re right. The cost of living is out of control. Wages haven’t kept up. Healthcare is still treated like a luxury. And under Trump’s second term, we’re watching hard-won rights, protections, and progress unravel in real time.
The billionaire class is richer than ever, while working families are forced to choose between medicine and rent. Not only is that a failure of leadership, it’s the result of a political system that rewards wealth, punishes struggle, and silences the working people. Today, less than 2% of Congress comes from a working-class background. That’s not representation. It’s exclusion by design. And it’s why so many policies don’t reflect the realities that the people of Sacramento live every single day.
I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck. I’ve relied on the ACA. I’ve worked in our prisons, organized in our streets, and walked the halls of Congress not as a lobbyist, but as someone fighting for my community. I’m not running because it’s easy. I’m running because I know what’s at stake.
Meanwhile, Doris Matsui, one of the richest members of Congress, has spent nearly 20 years in office without facing a serious challenge. She’s backed by corporate PACs, funded by wealthy donors, and protected by a political machine that’s kept her insulated from the real struggles of working people in her district. While Sacramento families fight to afford rent, healthcare, and groceries, she’s raising campaign cash from the same industries that profit off our pain. She doesn’t ride the bus. She doesn’t worry about medical bills. And she’s never had to live paycheck to paycheck. That’s not representation. It’s entitlement. And it’s time we changed that.
We need a new generation of leadership—leaders who’ve lived what we’ve lived, who aren’t bought and paid for by the 1%, and who refuse to sit on the sidelines while our communities are left behind. I’m not running to play it safe. I’m running to shake things up because this moment demands nothing less.
What I Stand For
A Sacramento-rooted agenda built on lived experience, not lobbyist talking points.
Medicare for All
Too many people in Sacramento County are underinsured, skipping care, or drowning in medical debt. I’ve seen it firsthand. Healthcare should never depend on your job or your income. I’ll fight to guarantee it for everyone, right here at home.
Had to fight for care in Sacramento? Tell me your story.
Housing as a Human Right
In the city I love, rents have doubled while wages stagnate, and more of our neighbors are being pushed onto the streets. I’ll fight for federal housing funding, renter protections, and solutions that meet the urgency of our crisis.
Let’s fight for housing that’s actually affordable. Join the campaign.
$25 Minimum Wage
Sacramento’s cost of living has skyrocketed, and workers are being left behind. From healthcare aides to retail workers, we all deserve a wage that respects our labor and covers our needs. I’ll push for a minimum wage that reflects the reality of this economy, not the one politicians pretend we live in.
Want to raise the wage floor in Sacramento? Get involved.
Climate Action Now
I know Sacramento floods, record heatwaves, and smoke-thick skies. Climate change isn’t abstract here. It’s choking our lungs and flooding our homes. I’ll fight for clean energy jobs and infrastructure in our region, and I’ll never take fossil fuel money.
Want climate justice in the Valley? Join our action team.
Money Out of Politics
Our elections are drowning in dark money, and Sacramento’s voices are being drowned out. I’m not taking a dime from corporate PACs. I’ll fight to end big money’s grip on our democracy and open the door for more working-class candidates like me right here in our community.
Help us keep this campaign people-powered. Chip in today.
Free Community College & Student Debt Relief
I took classes at American River and Sierra College. I earned my degree from Sacramento State. I know what it’s like to take out a loan for school and still be paying it off decades later. I’ll fight for free community college and real relief for borrowers because education should open doors, not trap you in debt.
Believe education should be a right in Sacramento? Stand with me.
Justice That Heals Instead of Harms
I worked inside Folsom State Prison. I saw the reality of incarceration, the harm of harsh sentencing, and the loss of critical rehabilitation programs. I’ll fight for sentencing reform, restorative justice, and investments in what actually keeps us safe.
Want a justice system that works for our communities? Volunteer now.
Reproductive Freedom & Maternal Health
California is a sanctuary for reproductive rights, but too many in our region still face barriers to abortion access and maternal care. With national threats growing under Trump, I’ll fight to protect and expand reproductive freedom right here in Sacramento and beyond.
Reproductive freedom needs defenders. Stand with me.
Support for Veterans & Caregivers
My dad dedicated his retirement to helping unhoused veterans in Sacramento. I’ll honor his legacy by expanding local VA services, securing housing support, and making sure caregivers, many of whom are women of color, are finally paid what they deserve.
Help us lift up those who care for our community. Donate now.
Human Rights–Driven Foreign Policy
Even from Sacramento, our voices can shape global outcomes. I’ll fight for a foreign policy that centers human dignity, not weapons deals, and I’ll hold our government accountable when our tax dollars fund human rights abuses abroad.
Want your values reflected at home and abroad? Join the campaign.
This Campaign is 100% People-Powered
No lobbyists. No backroom deals. Just real, working-class people building real power.
This campaign isn’t about me. It’s about Sacramento. It’s about us. We’re organizing in every neighborhood, knocking on doors, and building a grassroots movement to challenge the billionaire agenda and return power to the people.
I’ve seen what happens when people are shut out of power. That’s why I’m running: to open the door—and keep it open—for all of us.
