Mahan appears in new Democratic attack ads targeting Xavier Becerra

California’s governor race has moved into the ugly phase. Xavier Becerra had been climbing fast, and that usually triggers the same response in a crowded primary — everyone decides he is the target. Now that pressure has spilled from debate-stage attacks into a fresh round of ads, including one featuring San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and others built around criticism from former Biden administration figures. The point is simple: stop Becerra before his rise hardens into front-runner status. (aol.com) ### Why is Becerra the one getting hit? Because he is no longer just another Democrat in the pack. In the latest California Democratic Party tracking poll released this week, Becerra was tied with Republican Steve Hilton at 18%, and Politico noted that the same party poll had him 6 points ahead of Tom Steyer among Democrats. That changed the race’s logic overnight — rivals stopped treating(aol.com)t. (cadem.org) ### What are these new ads actually doing? They are trying to turn Becerra’s résumé into a liability. Instead of arguing he lacks experience, the ads and allied attacks argue that his long record did not produce results — especially during his time as Health and Human Services secretary. That mirrors the line Mahan used onstage this week, when he said Becerra’s(cadem.org) like Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa. (politico.com) ### Why does Xochitl Hinojosa matter here? Because she gave Becerra’s opponents a much sharper blade than a normal campaign attack. Hinojosa, who served as the Justice Department’s public affairs director from 2023 to 2025, said after Tuesday’s CNN debate that she did not trust Becerra to stand up to Donald Trump and called him ineffective in go(politico.com)andidate looks strong enough to fight Trump. (aol.com) ### Where does Matt Mahan fit in? Mahan is both a candidate and, increasingly, a vehicle for a different kind of Democratic argument. He is running as a more moderate, technocratic Democrat, and AP described him this week as a candidate drawing heavy support from tech leaders while building his brand around criticism of California’s status quo. So when he appears in anti-Becerra messaging, (aol.com)ose a manager, not another career statewide official. (apnews.com) ### Is this just about ads, or did the debate matter too? The debate mattered a lot. Tuesday night was the clearest coordinated pile-on Becerra has faced so far. Steyer hit him over oil money and single-payer, Villaraigosa raised ethics baggage tied to a former aide, and Mahan went after his management record on migrant children and public health crises. Basically, the ads are not creating a new argument. They are extending the debate into voters’ mailboxes and phones. (politico.com) ### Why hit now? Because timing is the whole game in a top-two primary. Ballots are already going out, and lower-polling candidates are running out of chances to change the shape of the field. If Becerra locks in enough Democratic support now, rivals may not get another clean opening before June. (apnews.com)andard California Democrat answer. He keeps trying to redirect the race toward Trump, arguing that Trump is the real threat and that intra-party sniping is a distraction. That may work if Democratic voters decide electability against Republicans matters more than complaints about his Cabinet tenure. But the catch is that once doubts about strength start circulating, they are hard to stuff back in the box. (politico.com) ### Bottom line? This is not really a story about one ad. It is a story about a race deciding Becerra is real, and then moving fast to cut him down before voters make that judgment for themselves. (politico.com)