Mahan Maintains Fundraising Lead Ahead Of Election

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the final stretch of California’s governor primary with more campaign cash on hand than any remaining candidate. (sanjoseinside.com) Campaign finance filings through April 23 show Mahan had about $8.9 million available for the home stretch, with less than six weeks until the June 2 primary. His campaign raised $13.5 million in roughly three months. (sanjoseinside.com) The San Francisco Chronicle’s campaign finance tracker says Mahan has become a favorite of wealthy California donors, especially Silicon Valley families and executives. The Chronicle also says money has not translated into a polling surge. (sfchronicle.com) That gap has defined Mahan’s race. San Jose Spotlight reported on April 13 that he was still struggling to move out of the single digits in public polling despite a burst of early donor enthusiasm. (sanjosespotlight.com) The same report said Mahan had raised about $12 million from donors including Sergey Brin, Joe Lonsdale and Garry Tan, while outside groups backing him had collected about $15 million. One independent committee spent $1.5 million on a Super Bowl ad. (sanjosespotlight.com) Forbes reported after Eric Swalwell left the race that Rick Caruso, Reed Hastings and Michael Moritz each gave $1 million to independent groups supporting Mahan. Those donations added to an already heavy outside-money push. (forbes.com) California’s June 2 primary uses the state’s top-two system, so all candidates appear on one ballot and the top two finishers advance to November if nobody wins a majority. Counties must begin mailing ballots to voters by May 4. (sos.ca.gov) Mahan’s position is unusual: he has one of the biggest financial operations in the race, but public reporting still places him behind better-known rivals in voter support. The next test is whether that cash advantage changes the map before ballots arrive. (sanjoseinside.com) (sfchronicle.com)