San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has entered the increasingly crowded 2026 California gubernatorial race

Mahan emphasized that California must look to real-world results rather than new ideas alone. “Ideas are cheap,” he said. “Execution is everything.” He highlighted his record in San Jose, reductions in homelessness and crime, plus aggressive efforts to streamline housing construction, as a blueprint the state should follow. Mahan suggested competitive funding models where cities, counties, and nonprofits vie for dollars based on proven success addressing homelessness, stressing that “there are solutions to our biggest problems, but it requires focus and accountability, an ability to admit when the things we are doing aren’t working and change our policies.”

Facing a structural budget deficit, Mahan acknowledged tough cuts are inevitable: “We will have to cut things to balance the budget.” He said the governor’s job is to be direct about priorities, naming ending homelessness, promoting public safety, and removing barriers to economic growth as his top three. In the long run, he believes job creation and economic expansion will help fix the fiscal mess, criticizing the state’s failure to promote entrepreneurship and investment while reiterating his opposition to the proposed “Billionaires Tax.”

Mahan distanced himself from “performative politics” and “meme wars” with President Trump. He criticized rising populist fervor on both left and right, arguing that “in the long run, the best resistance is delivering results.”

The San Jose mayor’s entry adds a pragmatic, results-oriented voice to the Democratic field, with real estate magnate Rick Caruso endorsing his campaign.