San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan enters 2026 California governor’s race
By Tim Fang
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced Thursday that he is running for governor of California in 2026, joining a crowded field in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I’m running for Governor of California — because we can do better,” Mahan said in a statement. “I know we can because San Jose is proving it.”
The mayor pointed to several accomplishments in leading the Bay Area’s most populous city, including reducing unsheltered homelessness, reductions in crime and tackling the city’s housing affordability issues.
“We’re the safest big city in the nation. We’re getting people indoors faster than any other city on the West Coast. And by reducing barriers, we have thousands of new homes for working families now under construction. We need a leader who will fix our problems while fighting to protect our values. We need a leader focused on results,” the mayor added.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Mahan pitched his campaign as a “back to basics” approach, one rooted in his record at the local level. Mahan said his experience leading San Jose prepares him for the state’s top job.
“I see this as continuing the mission we set out on. I promised San Joseans that I would fight to end unsheltered homelessness, to reduce crime, to expand opportunity by ensuring that we attract and retain good, high paying jobs, but also lower the cost of living by building housing,” Mahan said. “We’re doing that in San Jose, and the truth is, we can make a lot more progress if we see the same level of focus and accountability in Sacramento.”
In state politics, the mayor was a leading proponent of Proposition 36 in 2024, a ballot initiative that toughened penalties for theft and drug offenses. The measure was approved by more than 68% of California voters.
Recently, Mahan has come out against a proposed one-time tax on the state’s billionaires to fund healthcare, saying he was concerned about potential unintended consequences, such as companies leaving the state. Critics of the tax include Newsom, along with billionaires in the tech industry.
“Having California go it alone on a wealth tax is incredibly risky, and it particularly threatens the industry that my community, San Jose, Silicon Valley, relies on,” Mahan told CBS News Bay Area in an interview on Jan. 8.
The tax is being proposed by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West union.
A native of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, the 43-year-old was previously a public-school teacher in East San Jose and a founder of two tech startups before entering politics. Mahan was first elected to the San Jose City Council in 2020 and was elected mayor two years later.
Mahan, a Democrat, joins a crowded field ahead of the June primary, in which the top two candidates regardless of party advance to the November general election.
Following his announcement, Mahan received an endorsement from Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose), who was the city’s previous mayor.
“Leading one of California’s largest cities tests you in ways few jobs do. Sacramento needs a leader who has governed under pressure, balanced a budget, and delivered results. That’s San José Mayor Matt Mahan,” Liccardo said in a statement.
Other Democratic candidates who are running include former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who also served as state attorney general and in Congress; former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter; billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer; Rep. Eric Swalwell of Dublin; state Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Betty Yee.
On the Republican side, Riverside Co. Sheriff Chad Bianco and political commentator Steve Hilton are running.
The primary is scheduled for June 2.
