San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is running for governor, he confirmed in an interview with The Standard. He entered elected office as a San Jose councilmember in 2020, then clinched an upset win for mayor in 2022 against a longtime South Bay politician. “Fundraising will be a major challenge for him if he runs,” Terry Christensen, professor emeritus at San Jose State University, recently told San Jose Spotlight (opens in new tab) . His term in San Jose runs until 2028, after he handily won reelection in 2024. The San Jose mayor has attracted praise from some in the tech industry.