San José Mayor Matt Mahan may lack name recognition as he enters an absurdly crowded race for California governor, but what the moderate Democrat lacks in star power, he may make up for in big campaign bucks and a startlingly sane approach to governing.
The 43-year-old’s rise to governor in just six years would be meteoric.
Mahan went from a first-term council member in 2021 to mayor of San Jose in just two years. During his time as mayor, he’s been critical of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s persistent peacocking, backed the tough-on-crime state ballot measure Proposition 36 and argued that homeless shelters should be seen as a temporary fix rather than a solution to the crisis.
The married father of two, who helms California’s third-largest city, bills himself as a “back to basics” leader focused on public safety, housing affordability and government accountability.
One of his top-selling points to voters will be that he’s not beholden to the Democratic Party power structure. But that doesn’t mean he’s short on connections.
The former tech entrepreneur has leaned into his unofficial title as mayor of the “Capitol of Silicon Valley.” He opposes the controversial billionaires’ tax and key figures in tech and California real estate were quick to applaud his candidacy Thursday.
Billionaire Los Angeles businessman Rick Caruso called Mahan a “good friend” and praised his even-keeled approach to governing.
“Matt is a practically minded moderate and a thoughtful leader brimming with innovative new ideas,” Caruso tweeted. “He is a proven manager with exactly the skill set I think California needs to get on the right track. I have encouraged him to run and I’m delighted he is entering the race.”
Garry Tan, CEO of startup accelerator Y Combinator in San Francisco, noted in a social media post that Mahan is “not another Sacramento creature,” taking what appeared to be a veiled swipe at Newsom and the many thirsty Democrats seeking to succeed him.
“He’s a former startup founder who became mayor of the largest city in Silicon Valley and actually delivered results,” Tan tweeted.
Mahan’s entry to the race is far from a lock to advance beyond the June primary election. For now, he’s a relatively unknown Democratic candidate in what’s become a clown car of lefty politicians tumbling out across the state in search of votes and campaign cash.
If anything, Mahan’s candidacy could actually play in favor of Republicans, who haven’t held control of the governor’s mansion since Arnold Schwarnannaeger left office in 2011.
Polling shows that two Republicans — Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — are leading or near the top of a field littered with uninspiring Democratic candidates. Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Congresswoman Katie Porter both appear to be polling the best of the bunch.
If a swath of Dems don’t drop out in the months to come, the chances of them cannibalizing each other’s votes and relinquishing control of the Capitol to a GOP governor is an actual possibility.
Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San José State University, acknowledged the risk of too many Democrats staying in the race, but he noted that Mahan has astutely distanced himself from “all of the candidates who are to the left.”
“The secret recipe for Mahan is not just the Democrat voters, it’s the 30% of the state who are registered as a no political party,” Gerston said. “Because the Democrats allow no political party voters to take part in the primary, unlike Republicans, they’re less political, less dogmatic, and they could look at Mahan as a fresh face.”
One of the biggest reasons Democrats and independents may warm to Mahan is how different he approaches the bloodsport of politics from California’s current governor.
Along with touting San José’s progress in addressing homelessness and lowering crime, Mahan has spent months differentiating himself from the Democratic field by vocally criticizing Newsom’s juvenile social media posts opposing President Trump and anyone else who fails to bend the knee.
“We don’t just need to be against something,” Mahan wrote on social media Thursday morning. “We need to be for something — a government that proves it can solve problems for working people again.”
