Matt Mahan moves to boost sagging poll numbers in California free-for-all
Deprecated: str_getcsv(): the $escape parameter must be provided as its default value will change in /var/www/html/breaking-news/wp-content/plugins/wp-auto-affiliate-links/aal_engine.php on line 361
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democratic candidate in California’s crowded governor race, is struggling to gain traction as polls show him in the low single digits. The field features 10 candidates (eight Democrats and two Republicans), with Republicans currently leading in polls and poised to advance two candidates, Steve Hilton and Sheriff Chad Bianco, ahead of Democrats.
Key points:
– Mahan centers his campaign on fiscal accountability,challenging California’s budget policies and arguing that Democrats can govern more efficiently without new taxes.
– His eight-page plan proposes several reform ideas: tying pay raises for top state officials to measurable performance, creating a California Performance Review to identify inefficiencies, tightening lobbying rules, enforcing audit findings, and modernizing purchasing practices.
– He also suggests breaking with party norms on energy policy by calling for immediate relief on gasoline costs, including a temporary suspension of the gas tax, which is the highest in the nation.
– A core element is linking salary increases for officials to progress on issues like homelessness and unemployment, a concept he has previously floated locally but not gained council approval.
– Mahan’s proposals mark a notable departure from standard Democratic positions and aim to position him as a pragmatic outsider in a field dominated by higher-profile Democrats.
– Analysts and strategists have raised questions about the viability and messaging of his plan,with critics noting that his advertisements have been seen as uneven and not persuasive enough to move him up in the polls.
– Public polling around the race shows a tight margin among several candidates, including Porter, Swalwell, Steyer on the democratic side, and Hilton and Bianco on the Republican side, suggesting the race remains highly competitive as the June primary approaches.
the article portrays Mahan as attempting to stand out through bold, accountability-focused reforms and a willingness to diverge from party orthodoxy, while facing an uphill battle in a crowded and polarized field.
Matt Mahan moves to boost sagging poll numbers in California free-for-all
Long-shot Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan, currently stuck polling in the low single digits, is centering his campaign on fiscal accountability and directly challenging California’s budget policies to stand out among the crowded field.
With less than two months to go before the June 2 primary election, Mahan’s well-funded campaign is failing to gain traction with voters. There are 10 candidates in the contest, eight Democrats and two Republicans. Currently, the Republicans are ahead in polls, including one commissioned by the state’s Democratic Party. As things stand, if the primary election were tomorrow, the two who would advance would be former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, boxing out Democrats.
Mahan’s lackluster standing puts pressure on him to come up with something new to appeal to voters, even if that means breaking with Democrats.
California political expert Rich Withers told the Washington Examiner that Mahan’s best path forward may just be a “closed eye Hail Mary pass.”
“He’s got nothing to lose,” he said.
USC PULLS PLUG ON CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE AFTER CANDIDATE RACE CONTROVERSY
Mahan has floated several ideas that don’t necessarily align with his party, including one that would tie pay raises for elected officials to measurable progress on core state challenges. Another would block any new taxes until Sacramento proves it can better manage existing funds.
Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, has also been framing himself as a pragmatic outsider in a field dominated by higher-profile Democrats by zeroing in on the state’s surging budget, spotlighting a roughly 75% increase in spending over the past six years, from a pared-down $202 billion budget during the pandemic to nearly $349 billion today under outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
Mahan released an eight-page plan that offers a window into how he is trying to break through in the race by leaning into fiscal accountability, distancing himself from the party’s political norms, and arguing that Democrats can govern more efficiently without raising taxes.
“We have fallen into this lazy, reflexive mindset of always going back to voters and telling them that the only solution to every problem is a tax increase or a new bond or a new rule coming down from Sacramento,” Mahan told the Los Angeles Times. “We need to step back and take a really hard look at our existing spending and increase the level of transparency and accountability in government.”
Mahan’s plan also outlines a framework for evaluating and enforcing accountability, borrowing certain ideas from policies adopted in other states. It calls for tightening lobbying rules, ensuring agencies act on audit findings, and modernizing California’s purchasing practices, areas Mahan has criticized as inefficient and overly complex.
Another key element is the creation of a “California Performance Review,” modeled after a Texas initiative from the 1990s. The effort would assess state departments and gather feedback from public employees to identify inefficiencies and reduce unnecessary spending.
Central to the proposal is the idea of linking salary increases for top state officials, including the governor, legislators, and thousands of appointed administrators, to concrete performance metrics, such as progress in lowering homelessness and joblessness. It’s an idea he floated on the local level when the Washington Examiner profiled him in San Jose last year. His pay-for-performance proposal ultimately did not gain approval from the City Council.
Mahan also broke with his party’s long-standing energy policies, calling for immediate action to bring down soaring fuel costs. He has backed a temporary suspension of California’s nation-leading gas tax and posted a video on social media standing in front of a gas pump, claiming costs are “becoming an emergency for working families, and I think we ought to act like it.” California’s gas tax, at 61 cents per gallon, is the highest in the nation.
Veteran Democratic strategist Garry South, who has managed four gubernatorial campaigns and played significant roles in three presidential campaigns, told the Washington Examiner he isn’t impressed with Mahan’s proposals.
“To attempt to run for governor as a Democrat by becoming the chief Democratic critic of the Democratic governor you’re running to succeed is bizarre at best,” he said. “There’s another weak spot in his campaign, too. One key to success in campaigns is exercising tight control over your message. In Mahan’s case, he’s essentially franchised out his advertising to his Silicon Valley tech bros, who are putting up the millions to fund the independent expenditure on his behalf. I’ve seen their ads, and they’re uniformly disjoined, flat, and forgettable.”
South said his ads are “nowhere near powerful or compelling enough to propel him from 4% to the top of the pack.”
GAVIN NEWSOM AVOIDS CALLING HIMSELF A ZIONIST
Three Democrats — former Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and billionaire Tom Steyer — along with Republicans Hilton and Bianco, are within 4 percentage points of one another, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California survey. The Democrats at the top have stayed on brand.
Calls to Mahan for comment on his campaign strategy going forward were not immediately returned.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
