\u201cIt\u2019s never a good sign when a donor wants money back or a committee closes down,\u201d Steven Maviglio, a Sacramento-based political consultant, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
It also comes as\u00a0The New York Post<\/a>\u00a0obtained a complaint alleging Mahan\u2019s campaign illegally coordinated with California Back to Basics, an outside committee. The Post reported the complaint could warrant penalties of up to $5 million amid signs the campaign is short on cash. The complaint was filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission.<\/p>\n Representatives for Mahan\u2019s campaign, which has raised $15 million in direct donations this year, didn\u2019t respond to questions about the independent committee shutting down or the ethics complaint.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like the kind of moves folks would make if they expected him to win the runoff,\u201d Santa Clara County Democratic Party Chair Bill James told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt seems like a recognition that despite significant spending on his behalf, the campaign has not gained any traction.\u201d<\/p>\n Signs of trouble<\/a>\u00a0have been visible since April, after Mahan\u2019s campaign parted ways with a top strategist, Eric Jaye, who had been in the mayor\u2019s political orbit for years. Around the same time, supporters of Mahan pitched a desperate \u201call or nothing\u201d fundraising effort to raise $35 million in an escrow account by mid-April.<\/p>\n Mahan has struggled to\u00a0pull away from <\/a>t<\/a>he lower half of the pack in polling<\/a>. Last week, the California Democratic Party\u2019s final poll before Election Day showed Mahan in sixth place among all the candidates and in fourth place among Democrats.<\/p>\n The poll found Mahan\u2019s position fell from 7% to 4% from an earlier poll this month, while conservative TV news pundit Steve Hilton led with 22% followed by former California Attorney General and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 21%. Billionaire Tom Steyer polled at 15%, while Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco polled at 10% and former Congresswoman Katie Porter polled at 7%.<\/p>\n Mahan\u00a0entered the race in January<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 notably late compared to other candidates \u2014 despite his ambitions for higher office\u00a0being San Jose\u2019s worst-kept political secret<\/a>. For more than a year, Mahan sized up Gov. Gavin Newsom in opinion articles and TV news appearances across California over public safety initiatives and legislative posturing toward President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n His campaign announcement was met with\u00a0much fanfare in Silicon Valley<\/a>, with staggering donations coming in almost immediately from a wide range of C-suite executives and wealthy elites across California. The money nabbed Mahan a coveted campaign\u00a0ad during the Super Bowl<\/a>, an appearance on \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d with Jon Stewart and most recently an\u00a0endorsement from musician Grimes<\/a>, who is a former partner of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk.<\/p>\n Steyer continues to lead in direct fundraising with $197 million, according to campaign finance records. He\u2019s followed by Mahan at $15 million.<\/p>\n Hilton has raised $11 million. Porter has raised $9 million. Disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell \u2014 who dropped out of the race over sexual assault allegations \u2014 raised $8.7 million. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has raised $7.3 million. Becerra has raised $7.1 million and Bianco has raised $5.8 million.<\/p>\n The top two candidates in the June 2 primary election will advance to a runoff in November.<\/p>\n Contact Brandon Pho at\u00a0brandon@sanjosespotlight.com\u00a0or @brandonphooo on X.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779859346_563_LNM-20250616-SJSPOTLIGHTLOGO-01.jpg\")
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