San Jose residents told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight Mahan\u2019s decision to run<\/a> has led them to question his commitment to the city he leads. Meanwhile, the campaign\u2019s reliance on financial support from wealthy tech benefactors has inflamed mistrust among the city\u2019s already skeptical progressives. And in the eyes of some, his lackluster performance<\/a> at the polls \u2014 even in Santa Clara County he drew just 9% of the votes \u2014 has exposed deep political vulnerability.<\/p>\n \u201cIt weakens his ability to govern the city because there\u2019s blood in the water, and others have taken notice,\u201d one City Hall insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be in for a real fight coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n In the near term, such perceived political weakness<\/a> could stiffen opposition against Mahan\u2019s local policy agenda. Further out, it could complicate his reelection bid, should he choose to seek a second four-year term as mayor in 2028.<\/p>\n The political fault line opened by the campaign was on full display Tuesday evening. As San Jose\u2019s most politically engaged residents flocked to election watch parties, they offered sharply diverging appraisals.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel really proud that he is representing San Jose,\u201d resident Jill Borders told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight at Mahan\u2019s watch party held at San Pedro Square. \u201cWhen he was up there in the debates, I thought, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s my mayor.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But across town, Paul Bayon, out at a Cambrian bar to cheer on District 9 City Council candidate Gordon Chester<\/a>, said Mahan\u2019s gubernatorial campaign has undermined his credibility with residents.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a joke when he announced,\u201d Bayon told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMyself, my friends, everyone that I knew said, \u2018Good lord, this man never finishes anything he starts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n If Mahan\u2019s attempt to make the jump to the governor\u2019s office had succeeded, it would have marked the second time he had vacated an elected office early for a promotion. In 2022, he cut short his first term as District 10 councilmember after winning that year\u2019s mayoral election<\/a> against former Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.<\/p>\n Responding to the criticism, Mahan has framed his bid for the governor\u2019s office as an extension of his commitment to San Jose. He argues that only reform at the state level will be sufficient to solve the problems that have so far stymied progress on key quality of life issues for California cities, such as homelessness, high housing costs and crime.<\/p>\n Despite Mahan\u2019s electoral defeat,\u00a0spokesperson Seamus Gann credited the mayor with shaping the terms of the debate in the governor\u2019s race, establishing some of his own policy priorities<\/a> such as interim housing and performance dashboards in the broader conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cMayor Mahan will hold the next governor accountable for delivering on those commitments and better outcomes for our state,\u201d Gann told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Still, critics point to Mahan\u2019s frequent absences from council meetings over the past four months as evidence of his divided attention.<\/p>\n Over the course of the campaign, the mayor has missed more than a third of City Council meetings, according to an analysis conducted by the Bay Area News Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gann contends that throughout the campaign, Mahan has remained closely involved in city governance, overseeing major initiatives such as homeless camp abatements<\/a>, the preparation for this year\u2019s series of major sporting events<\/a>, as well as the city\u2019s ongoing budget deliberations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mahan\u2019s deep-pocketed tech-backers<\/a> helped propel him to become the second highest fundraiser in the governor\u2019s race. But the tech ties<\/a> also made him a target for California\u2019s labor-aligned political groups.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, aspects of Mahan\u2019s policy platform \u2014 such as his rejection of a proposed statewide wealth tax on billionaires<\/a> \u2014 have only widened the rift with the labor bloc in San Jose.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County Democratic Party Chair Bill James, an occasional Mahan critic, said the mayor will need to do more if he hopes to regain trust with rankled residents.<\/p>\n \u201cI think (Mahan) would do well to turn back to San Jose now with some humility and some focus, and say, \u2018I\u2019m back, I\u2019ve got some things wrong. Let\u2019s talk about it, and let\u2019s try to do some things for San Jose,\u2019\u201d James told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Amid the grumbling over Mahan\u2019s absences, it appears at least one resident is attempting to organize more concerted opposition. In recent days, residents have been circulating a web page that asks others to join an effort to recall Mahan. It\u2019s not clear when the page, apparently posted by resident and San Jose State University computer science faculty member Robert Nicholson, first appeared.<\/p>\n Nicholson did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n District 6 Councilmember Michael Mulcahy, a member of the council\u2019s majority business bloc, lauded Mahan\u2019s campaign\u00a0for elevating \u201cthe issues that matter most to San Jose\u201d into statewide politics.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the state\u2019s third-largest city and a powerhouse of innovation, we should be unapologetic about taking up space and claiming our place in shaping California\u2019s future \u2014 and if this campaign nudged us in that direction, that\u2019s a real win for San Jose,\u201d Mulcahy told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. Whatever political fallout there may be, it \u2019s possible the consequences will be short lived, Garrick Percival, chair of the political science department at San Jose State University, said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure Mahan ruffled some feathers by running. He\u2019s clearly an ambitious politician,\u201d Percival told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201c(But) people tend to try to move past a lot of the tensions that come around campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FEB-3-COUNCIL-2-1024x768.jpg\")
Mayor Matt Mahan\u2019s seat remained empty during the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, while he attended the first major televised debate of this year\u2019s gubernatorial campaign. Photo by Keith Menconi.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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