By Robert Haugh
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign for California governor ended badly on Tuesday night.
Early election-night results showed Mahan in sixth place, with just 4.5 percent of the vote.
That put him behind Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco and Katie Porter.
The Republican Hilton and the Democrat Becerra are headed to the November runoff.
Mahan also did poorly in Santa Clara County, his home base.
Late Tuesday, he was in fourth place with just over 10 percent of the local vote.
Mahan entered the race with strong financial support from Silicon Valley donors. He raised more than $15 million, making him one of the top fundraisers in the race. But the money did not translate into voter support.
He entered the race late, in January, after months of speculation about his interest in statewide office. His campaign also showed signs of trouble before Election Day.
In April, Mahan parted ways with longtime strategist Eric Jaye.
For now, Mahan remains San Jose mayor.
He is serving a term that runs through December 2028 and could run again for another four-year term.
Mahan had two years left of his term as SJ mayor. What was he doing running for statewide office before he finished his work in San Jose? Shame on him for using SJ as a stepping stone, instead of dedicating himself to his constituents until his term was finished.
He screwed himself, imo. I watch a lot of TV, YouTube, streaming, etc. Steyer *heavily* spent on TV ad/YouTube/streaming commercials. And when Swalwell bit the dust, Becerra did too. Matt Mahan? I only remember seeing a few of his. Visibility cost him, big time. I swear, I’m an engineer in the tech industry. And *I* could have run a better campaign than he did.
The irony is, that of all the Democrats, I liked him the best. He seemed to be the most moderate. Oh well.
As much as it would have been great to have a rep from Bay Area as governor, Mahan should have stayed in his lane. Many residents did not support his decision to run.