Gavin Newsom more and more in the past year β building his statewide profile as a centrist foil for other Democrats in the process. Articulate, young and always camera-ready, Mahan is already building name recognition up and down California. In view of TV news cameras last week, Mahan publicly dismissed the political theater of a Trump-focused legislative session that Newsom convened in Sacramento, focused on legal funding to prepare for lawsuits over immigration.
Earlier this year, Mahan campaigned and fundraised for Proposition 36, a voter-approved statewide ballot measure that heightens criminal charges for retail theft and drug crimes. Meanwhile, Newsom had championed other programs like CARE Court , aimed at tackling the relationship between mental health, drugs, criminal justice and homelessness.
It prompted Newsom β who has criticized Proposition 36 as a draconian return to the war on drugs β to summon a news conference at a Home Depot in San Jose, where he signed a handful of anti-crime bills.
Some believe the clouds are forming around a bid for higher office β and Mahan knows it. When asked about eyeing the governorship on Dec. I want to run San Jose. I love this job. So many of our policies β the funding we have β is all tied together.
There may be early signs of a statewide electorate receptive to the year-old tech entrepreneur. In recent years, the tech elite has ascended to new political heights. But Mahan β who launched several civics-focused tech startups with the likes of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff β embodies the nexus of tech and politics. State Sen. Dave Cortese, a former San Jose councilmember and Santa Clara County supervisor, said gubernatorial prospects make sense for a big city mayor in places like San Francisco.
