Matt Mahan Just Blew Up the Governor’s Race

California finally has a choice that isn’t Sacramento theater. Matt Mahan just declared for Governor—a former startup founder who became mayor of the largest city in Silicon Valley and actually delivered results, not just rhetoric.

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Matt Mahan just declared for Governor and California finally has a real choice. He's not another Sacramento creature. He's a former startup founder who became mayor of the largest city in Silicon Valley and actually delivered results. Here's why Matt Mahan is the real deal 🧵 https://t.co/M4QMZa9uyK [Quoting @MattMahanSJ]: A couple weeks ago, I came home and my wife, Silvia, said something I almost couldn’t believe.   She looked at me and she said, “I think our state needs you.” Because she believed I could help our kids. Help San José. And help California.   And if you know anything about Silvia — when she talks, you listen.   So I’m running for Governor of California — because we can do better.   I know we can, because we’re proving it in San Jose. We’ve reduced unsheltered homelessness by nearly 1/3rd after a decade of growth. We were rated the safest big city in America last year for the first time in over 20 years. We’re the only city to have solved 100% of homicides nearly 4 years running. And we’re taking on affordability with urgency and honesty — unlocking thousands of housing units in the past couple years.  We need to stand up for our rights, for our freedoms and for our neighbors. We need to use the tools we have at hand to protect our democracy. One tool is the law. The other tool is our results. We have to use both. That’s how we fix California. We don’t just need to be against something. We need to be for something — a government that proves it can solve problems for working people again. And before we ask Californians to give more, we owe them proof that their government can do better.   So I’m running to bring focus back to government. To give cities the tools they need to succeed. To show that the best resistance to division is results.   And to prove that California can work again — for everyone.   That’s why I’m running.   And that’s the future Silvia and I are fighting for. https://t.co/OgrVAthfeW

Garry Tan @garrytan January 29, 2026

This isn’t another Sacramento creature running on vibes and promises. This is a guy who proved it works in San Jose. Now he’s ready to prove it statewide.

The Results Speak for Themselves

San Jose was just named the safest big city in America—for the first time in over 20 years. That’s not a campaign slogan. That’s an objective measurement.

The San Jose Police Department has maintained a 100% homicide clearance rate for nearly four years running. Unsheltered homelessness dropped by nearly a third after a decade of growth. The sheltered rate climbed from 16% in 2019 to 40% today—the highest in over a decade.

Mahan built 1,000+ interim housing beds with a 95% utilization rate. Of those in interim housing, 70% remain off the streets and 40% graduate to permanent housing. Operating cost: around $18,000 per bed annually. Compare that to the hundreds of thousands San Francisco spends to accomplish far less.

Not Another Sacramento Creature

Matt Mahan didn’t grow up with a silver spoon. He rode a bus four hours a day—from Watsonville to San Jose—for high school on a work-study scholarship. He worked on the grounds crew to pay his way.

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Matt rode a bus 4 HOURS a day from Watsonville to San Jose for high school on a scholarship. Worked grounds crew to pay his way. Then: Harvard, taught middle school, founded a civic engagement startup. This is what meritocracy looks like. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/InFk505jh1

Garry Tan @garrytan January 29, 2026

Then: Harvard (where his dorm-mate was Mark Zuckerberg—they still talk), a year in Bolivia helping family farmers, teaching middle school, and co-founding a civic engagement startup. This is what meritocracy actually looks like.

The LA Times captured his outsider approach: He won his first mayoral race as an upset—"no endorsements, much less money"—by knocking on thousands of doors and asking voters what they actually cared about. It turned out to be rudimentary stuff: Potholes. Public safety. A sense they were paying a lot of taxes and getting very little in return.

He was reelected in November 2024 in a landslide.

The Prop 36 Fight Shows the Difference

When Prop 36—the ballot measure that toughened penalties for repeat theft and fentanyl crimes—came before voters, the Democratic establishment opposed it. Newsom opposed it. Most of Sacramento’s leadership opposed it.

Matt Mahan became the public face of the Yes campaign.

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Matt Mahan was one of the ONLY Democratic leaders to support Prop 36 which fights rampant property crime in CA. Voters passed it with nearly 70% support. When Newsom didn't put state $ to work, he fought to get it, and as governor he'll make it happen. https://t.co/Q5uYWAqNpo

Garry Tan @garrytan January 29, 2026

Voters passed it with nearly 70% support—a mandate by any definition. But POLITICO reports that Newsom declined to fund implementation despite the voter mandate. Early reports show Prop 36 is “saving lives”—defendants say the treatment felonies changed their trajectory.

Mahan continues fighting for state funding to implement what voters demanded. That’s the difference between a leader and a performer.

Running Government Like a Startup

“Trust in government increases faster when we serve people better.” That’s Mahan’s operating philosophy. He runs city government like a world-class startup—KPIs, data, accountability, focus.

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"Trust in government increases faster when we serve people better." Matt runs city government like a world-class startup — KPIs, data, accountability, focus. California desperately needs this. Not more vibes. Not more trolling. RESULTS. Let's go @MattMahanSJ https://t.co/ZaEYUE1Ewc

Garry Tan @garrytan January 29, 2026

Compare that to Newsom’s approach. When Bed Bath & Beyond announced it wouldn’t open stores in California due to the regulatory climate, Newsom’s response was to mock them on social media. The LA Times quoted a veteran Democratic strategist: “It seems like a work horse criticizing a show horse.”

California desperately needs this. Not more vibes. Not more trolling. RESULTS.

California Finally Has a Real Choice

The current gubernatorial field includes Katie Porter—who’s facing workplace behavior scandals—and Xavier Becerra. Neither offers what Mahan represents: a fundamentally different model of governance.

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San Jose is one of the safest cities in America. SJPD has a 100% homicide clearance rate. Homeless encampments aren't permanent there because he built 1,000+ shelter beds FIRST. It's what happens when you elect a mayor who can just do the right things https://t.co/z7NDFeSPKr

Garry Tan @garrytan January 29, 2026

Mahan’s diagnosis of the Democratic Party is devastating in its clarity: “We have become so caught up in our own rhetoric of helping the little guy that we’ve stopped actually checking to make sure that we are doing that.”

His promise: Before asking Californians to give more, prove government can do better.

California doesn’t need another governor who’s good at breaking the internet. It needs one who’s good at fixing California. Matt Mahan has proven he can do it in the largest city in Silicon Valley. Now he’s ready to prove it statewide.

Follow @garrytan for more.