San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s moderate campaign for California governor has fared well with billionaires and tech moguls. But two progressive state lawmakers in his own backyard are less enthused. Democratic Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Alex Lee are spurning Mahan’s bid for statewide office as a “handpicked” vessel for big tech’s movement to consolidate control...
Doan nabs dual endorsements in San Jose District 7 race
It’s a rare alignment of San Jose’s political stars: Two influential organizations on opposite sides of San Jose’s labor-business political divide have endorsed the same candidate in the District 7 City Council race. Incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan has won support from both the Silicon Valley Biz PAC and South Bay Labor Council. Doan — a...
Billionaire techies back Matt Mahan’s run for CA governor
Billionaires and tech moguls are spending mountains of cash to catapult San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to the front of the race for California governor. Recent campaign finance reports show Mahan has raised more than $2 million, though he has touted raising a total of $7 million so far on social media. Google co-founder Sergey Brin,...
Conservative heads San Jose mayor’s governor campaign
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has bristled at being labeled right-leaning while stressing he’s a lifelong Democrat. His hiring of a self-described conservative to run his California governor campaign could fuel fresh skepticism. Mahan’s 23-year-old campaign manager, Adrian Rafizadeh, registered as a Republican in 2020, voter records show. Rafizadeh previously worked on Mahan’s mayoral campaign from...
Here’s who paid for San Jose mayor’s Super Bowl ad
From Peter Thiel-linked tech investors to the creator of “Law & Order,” several notable people are gunning to vault San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s bid for California governor to frontrunner status — starting with a Super Bowl ad. The 30-second ad, which vaunts Mahan for making San Jose the “safest big city in America,” brought the...
San Jose councilmember seeks state Senate seat
The election year has barely started — but a handful of Silicon Valley races are shaping up. San Jose Councilmember David Cohen announced his run for California Senate District 10, which represents parts of Santa Clara and Alameda counties. The district’s current seat holder, Aisha Wahab, is running for Congressional District 14 held by Eric...
Follow the money in San Jose’s City Council races
A political newcomer is leading the fundraising pack in the race for this year’s sole open seat on the San Jose City Council, as incumbents in other districts raise funds to fend off rivals. The first round of campaign filings for the 2026 election cycle, submitted ahead of a Monday deadline, show candidates have raised...
Silicon Valley lawmaker could seek East Bay congressional seat
A state lawmaker representing parts of Santa Clara and Alameda counties might be angling for a congressional seat in the East Bay. Her candidacy would leave her own seat in the California Legislature up for grabs — if she decides to jump into the race. A new federal candidate filing suggests 10th District state Sen....
San Jose lawmaker eyes state attorney general run
State Sen. Dave Cortese plans to run for California Attorney General if Rob Bonta decides to enter the governor’s race. It could boost the odds of the next top state prosecutor coming from Santa Clara County. Cortese represents District 15, which covers portions of San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin. He previously served...
2026 marks another busy election year for San Jose
With five of San Jose’s 11 City Council seats up for grabs in 2026, the city is gearing up for another busy election year. As the looming contests begin to come into focus, San José Spotlight has asked several local political observers to discuss the races and election storylines they’ll be following most closely. They...