Lisa Rinna flubbed LA’s mayor talk, quipping 'Not a reality star' and naming Matt Mahan (San Jose mayor) as LA’s leader before backtracking to say she’d prefer him as governor; she also said reality-TV figures have no place in politics as Spencer Pratt runs for mayor.
In the final California governor debate before the June primary, Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra faced a coordinated assault from six rivals over ethics, fundraising, and the Dana Williamson campaign-finance case, with Porter pressing for a concrete revenue plan. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan framed himself as a reformer and clashed with Republican Steve Hilton, who, along with fellow GOP candidate Chad Bianco, sought to consolidate the right’s path in blue California. The candidates also sparred over housing and tax credits, and debated AI regulation, with all but Hilton signaling support for tighter chatbot rules. The debate served as a last personal appeal to voters ahead of the primary.
San Jose Mayor and California gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan urged a temporary suspension of the state’s gas tax to provide relief as California pump prices near $5.50 per gallon. He argued that working families are strained by fuel costs and that Californians shouldn’t subsidize global conflicts, tying high prices to a California-specific tax and climate-fee structure while pitching affordability as a key issue in his campaign.
Silicon Valley executives and investors have channeled about $3.3 million into a committee backing San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s bid for California governor, a critical boost as he tries to close a wide gap in a crowded, high-spend race. The independent expenditure group includes $1 million gifts from Michael Seibel and Marc Merrill (and $500,000 from Neil Mehta) and has booked considerable airtime, underscoring tech industry influence in California politics ahead of the June 2 primary.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced his bid for California governor, arguing he can tackle homelessness, housing affordability, and crime by applying his city-government experience to the state. He has already drawn a notable endorsement from Rep. Sam Liccardo and has built statewide visibility through TV appearances and a conservative-leaning advocacy group. The race features a crowded Democratic field including Eric Swalwell, Katie Porter, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond, Xavier Becerra, Ian Calderon, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Tom Steyer; recent internal polling cited by the San José Spotlight shows no clear front-runner, with Porter leading around 14%, Swalwell at 11%, and Mahan around 5%, indicating a wide-open contest for the June primary.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan launches a bid for California governor with strong early backing from Silicon Valley figures and tech donors, signaling a potential shift in the race toward a moderate, pro-growth stance; but he faces questions about whether Silicon Valley’s influence can translate statewide amid skepticism from rivals and organized labor.
San José Mayor Matt Mahan announced his bid for California governor, pitching himself as a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize residents’ quality of life and fix-state problems over partisan progressive aims. He touts local gains on crime, homelessness and housing, advocates for state leadership that partners with cities, and opposes a billionaire wealth tax while criticizing Gov. Newsom’s approach. Backed early by Silicon Valley figures but facing skepticism from some Democrats, he emphasizes a “Back to Basics” platform and aims to translate his city successes into statewide reform.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a moderate Democrat and frequent critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced a late entry into California’s crowded gubernatorial race, arguing for pragmatic solutions to homelessness and drug addiction and accusing rivals of fixating on Trump rather than state issues. With strong Silicon Valley ties and a history of taking a tough stance on quality-of-life issues, Mahan enters a field that already includes prominent Democrats like Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell, Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra and Antonio Villaraigosa, and will need to quickly raise substantial funds to compete.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is reportedly set to announce a bid for California governor, entering a crowded Democratic field that includes Porter, Swalwell, Becerra, Steyer and others; with Gov. Newsom ineligible to run, the race is wide open, and Mahan promotes a moderate, Silicon Valley–oriented approach and a record on homelessness and crime.