Polling firm Impact Research conducted the survey from April 8-12, around the time multiple sexual assault allegations forced the race\u2019s frontrunner, Congressman Eric Swalwell, to resign from Congress and drop his candidacy.<\/p>\n
It comes as Mahan\u2019s campaign is leaning heavier into the San Jose mayor\u2019s moderate Democrat branding. The slogan \u201cDEMOCRAT for Governor\u201d now emblazons his campaign website<\/a>. It also appears on new TV ads emphasizing Mahan\u2019s working-class upbringing amid a $3 million statewide media blitz this week. It\u2019s a contrast to \u201cGetting California Back to Basics,\u201d an older slogan associated with Mahan\u2019s mayoral agenda<\/a> to get tougher on crime and force homeless people into treatment.<\/p>\n The rebrand comes amid Mahan\u2019s staggering financial support from Silicon Valley tech executives and billionaires<\/a>, as well as the involvement of conservatives<\/a> in his campaign. Mahan has raised $12 million, while outside committees have raised $23 million independently to support him. The San Jose mayor has tailored his campaign as a bipartisan movement, peeling moderates away from the extremes of both political parties. And while running as a Democrat, he\u2019s separated himself from progressives by taking a stance against California\u2019s proposed billionaire tax<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a recognition that only one Democrat is going to make the top two and the most likely voters in a Democratic primary are strong Democrat supporters, the base of the party that tends to be more liberal,\u201d Garrick Percival, chair of the Political Science Department at San Jose State University, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cBack to basics \u2014 although certainly effective for him in the mayoral contest \u2014 means something different in a Democratic primary in California, and you\u2019re probably going to see him position himself further to the left.\u201d<\/p>\n The internal campaign polling memo strikes at this realization.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen voters hear biographical information about Mahan, including growing up living paycheck-to-paycheck and teaching middle school in a working-class neighborhood, Mahan jumps to first place among the Democratic candidates,\u201d the memo reads.<\/p>\n The poll is fueling his team with fresh optimism after recent internal struggles<\/a> with the departure of campaign strategist Eric Jaye, a San Francisco-based consultant who has\u00a0been in Mahan\u2019s political orbit for years<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur polling confirms what anyone who\u2019s met Mayor Matt already knows: They just need to get to know him,\u201d Tasha Dean, Mahan\u2019s spokesperson, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cHis working-class background, his proven record of results and his character resonate \u2014 because he\u2019s lived the California dream. And he\u2019s running to make sure every Californian can too.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Maviglio, a Sacramento-based political consultant, is cautious about the poll\u2019s suggestions.<\/p>\n \u201cAny internal poll you have to take with a grain of salt \u2014 it\u2019s written by you, designed by you,\u201d Maviglio told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThat said, there\u2019s no doubt about it \u2014 the fallout from Swalwell\u2019s demise is scattering among all the candidates with a few extra percentage points. I don\u2019t know what it gets you if you\u2019re so far back in the pack. Everybody is trying to grab a piece of that pie.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n