- Matt Mahan announced his campaign for California governor and has promised change, but opinions on him are split
- Mahan’s favorability performance in polls have ranged from five to eight percent of the vote
- Mahan’s tenure as San José has made him a compelling candidate for many Bay Area voters and students
On Jan. 29, San José mayor Matt Mahan announced his candidacy for California governor, stating on his campaign website that he knows “California can do better.” Promising change in California, Mahan has focused his moderate Democrat campaign platform on improving homelessness, public safety and government efficiency. At the same time, his declaration to run has polarized residents of the Bay Area over controversies regarding his campaign funding, career path and tenure as San José mayor.
Mahan has served as San José mayor since 2022 and was re-elected in 2024 before announcing his campaign for governor. As mayor, he focused on four main areas of improvement: crime, homelessness, urban blight and economic development. He supported Proposition 36 as a part of his focus on crime, which would implement stricter penalties for drug and theft offenses.
“Mahan is very pragmatic with his approaches and doesn’t oversell things,” social studies teacher Jeff Bale said. “For instance, one of the big issues in the city of San José has been the homelessness crisis. He’s been very pragmatic in trying to work with the state to get the various funds and clean up some of the areas downtown.“
Mahan’s campaign goals align with many of the policies he supported as mayor, some of which would require major reform in the California government. He has advocated for increasing taxes on elected officials and other state leaders, as well as has been critical of California’s budget deficits and excessive spending. To resolve this, he has lobbied for more government transparency and accountability. His motto, “Back to Basics” highlights his focus on government accountability and improving quality of life in California.
Mahan’s performance in recent polls has been lackluster, estimating his favorability at five to eight percent of the vote. The San Francisco Standard and The Economist have stated that, due to a crowded gubernatorial race including billionaire Tom Steyer, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter and former U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra, Mahan’s chance for a win has been deemed “a long shot.”
Contrarily, some Bay Area residents look to Mahan’s solid tenure as San José mayor and see him as both competent and experienced.
“He has political issues, but what sells Mahan is that he has just been a relatively non-controversial figure that could lead a very big state,” Bale said. “One of the things that comes with being an executive is you want someone with executive experience, which he has as mayor.”
Mahan has attempted to establish himself as the candidate of change: his campaign has concentrated on portraying himself against the status quo of the government in Sacramento.
“I think Mahan is trying to position himself as more of an outsider to the Sacramento political system because he’s not from San Francisco or Los Angeles,” junior and Politics Club member Prajwal Avadhani said. “He’s also done a lot of things well as mayor of San José, such as coming back from the pandemic.”
San José’s reaction to their mayor’s campaign for governor has varied. People around the Bay Area have complimented Mahan’s approach to politics, while others question the effectiveness of his policies regarding homelessness. There also has been controversy over his decision to seek a higher office before finishing his term as mayor.
“Public service is a huge responsibility because being an elected official means you have the power to affect people’s lives with the passage of certain policies,” sophomore and politics club member Anika Khanna said. “I think the fact that he’s climbing the political ladder shows a lot about his character. It shows that he’s more career oriented, rather than focusing on providing welfare and improving social issues.”
Silicon Valley lawmakers and local politicians have expressed their concerns regarding his candidacy. Democratic assembly members Alex Lee and Ash Kalra have criticized Mahan’s close relations with large tech corporations. He has received support from Peter Thiel, billionaire and co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, despite his attempts to position himself away from the establishment and large corporations. This has tainted Mahan’s reputation as an outsider.
“When corporations donate money to these politicians, it results in policies that are beneficial to those corporations instead of the people they are supposed to represent,” Khanna said.
