Tech Leaders Back San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in California Governor’s Race

He created a coalition of more than 900 public agencies in San Jose to explore responsible artificial intelligence use in government.

"Voters can see past the kind of shallow connection that because I’m the mayor of the largest city in Silicon Valley, that might mean that I’m not willing to regulate tech," Mahan told The Associated Press. In just three months the mayor has raised more money than any rival, many of whom have campaigned for more than a year.

Mahan graduated from Harvard and worked on an early Facebook app before co-founding a nonpartisan online voter network. His campaign has emphasized his upbringing as the son of a postal worker and a schoolteacher rather than his technology background.

Donors to the mayor’s campaign include Google co-founder Sergey Brin, venture capitalist Michael Moritz and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. Some donors are hedging by also contributing to a Republican candidate who is a former Fox News host.

A leader of a startup accelerator that helped launch companies including Airbnb and DoorDash described the mayor as focused on solving problems by building more housing, improving public safety and making it possible for people to live and work in the state again.

His support among voters remains soft, though he has argued that many remain persuadable. His campaign has drawn only about 730 donations under $250, in contrast to tens of thousands of small donations received by other Democratic candidates.

Independent groups backed by the industry have committed at least $40 million to influence legislative races in addition to the governor’s contest. Questions about when he might drop out to avoid splitting the Democratic vote and allowing two Republicans to advance dominated a recent Reddit forum he hosted. "I plan to win!" the mayor responded to one such question.