Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, announces run for governor of California | California
Centrist Democrat and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan announced Thursday that he will run for governor of California, joining a expanding but stagnant field to replace Gavin Newsom.
Mahan, 43, is a former tech entrepreneur who was first elected mayor of Silicon Valley’s largest city in 2022.
it exists launched He said his pragmatic approach helped make San Jose the safest large city in the country and led to a significant drop in homelessness, a chronic problem that plagues many major California cities.
But the approach also had its critics. Mahan was one of several prominent Democrats who supported Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime ballot initiative in 2024 that would impose tougher penalties for some drug and theft crimes.
Mahan for a long time critical Complaint against Newsom, who is term-limited and cannot run again because of the governor’s approach to homelessness, crime reduction and even social media making fun of the president’s
In a series of interviews Thursday, Mahan suggested he sees an opening as a candidate focused less on national politics dominated by Donald Trump and more on issues facing the state, including homelessness and the rising cost of living.
“We have too many candidates pursuing a tired strategy,” Mahan told Politico. “They’re either running against Trump or they’re running in his image. I’m running for the future of California.”
Mahan has not held state or federal office. But he has signaled for weeks that he is interested in running for governor. His entry into the race months before the June primary reflects the unstable nature of the field, which has so far failed to produce a frontrunner.
Democrats running for governor include former congresswoman Katie Porter, congressman Eric Swalwell, former health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer.
Steyer, who invited Mahan to the race, said in his statement: “California needs a governor who will stand against powerful interests and carry their water.”
