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Why Silicon Valley’s Big Bet on Matt Mahan Went Bust

May 26, 2026 · 4:25 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Silicon Valley’s effort to place Matt Mahan in the governor’s mansion is stalling out amid recriminations, donor frustration and second-guessing,” Politico reports. 

“The San Jose mayor entered California’s wide-open governor’s race as tech’s chosen champion: a centrist Democrat with founder credentials, elite backers and promises of tens of millions of dollars to catapult him through the June primary.”

“But his underwhelming campaign has become a cautionary tale about an untested candidate and inexperienced donors chasing a vision that has failed to materialize with a week left — a humbling experience for some of Mahan’s backers in tech, many of them relative newcomers to state politics who are working to build enduring political power in California.”

2026 Campaign CA-Gov

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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