Mayor of San José enters race for governor

San José Mayor Matt Mahan announced he is running for California governor Thursday, pitching himself as a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize state residents’ quality of life over the principled progressivism that has become entrenched in California politics — including on crime, homelessness, housing and affordability.

- KEVIN RECTOR AND SEEMA МЕНТА

RICH PEDRONCELLI Associated Press SAN JOSÉ Mayor Matt Mahan, shown in 2023, is a moderate Democrat and critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“I'm jumping in this race because we need a governor who is both a fighter for our values and a fixer of our problems,” said Mahan, one of the state’s most outspoken Democratic critics of departing Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We can fix the biggest problems facing California, and I believe that because we're making real progress on homelessness, public safety [and] housing supply in San José.”

Mahan claimed that policies under his watch have reduced crime as well as the number of unsheltered residents, helped police solve every city homicide for nearly the last four years and should be emulated statewide.

“I want to follow through on that work by holding state government accountable for partnering with cities and counties to deliver better outcomes," he said.

Mahan, who has two young children and a wife, Silvia, who works in education, said last year that it wasn't the right time for him to run for governor, despite calls for him to do so from moderate forces in state politics and business. But he said he changed his mind after failing to find a candidate among the already crowded Democratic field whom he felt he could support - despite meeting with several of them to discuss their plans if elected.

"I have not heard the field embrace the kinds of solutions that I... know we need, as the mayor of the largest city in Northern California," Mahan said. In "the current field, it feels like many people are more interested in running either against [President] Trump or in his image. I'm running for the future of California, and I believe that we can fight for our values on the national stage while being accountable for fixing our problems here at home."