San Jose Mayor Sets Sights on California Governor's Race

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.