Mayoral campaign funds ‘astounding’
Early contribution figures put the heated race on track to be most expensive in city’s history
The race for San Jose’s next mayor is shaping up to become the most expensive political contest in city history.
San Jose rookie councilmember Matt Mahan, a former tech entrepreneur, announced Tuesday that he had already amassed a staggering $504,000, including a personal contribution of about $10,000, from nearly 1,000 donors during the first 23 days of the city’s fundraising period, making him the early fundrais- ing frontrunner.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a tenured South Bay politician and longtime labor leader, has reportedly brought in $474,000, including a $10,000 personal contribution, from nearly 1,000 donors during that same time period, according to Chavez’s campaign. Councilmember Raul Peralez, who will be battling Chavez for endorsements and funding from the region’s labor organizations, said on Jan. 4he had raised about $264,000 from approximately 500 donors.
Councilmember Dev Davis, who will have to fend off Mahan for support from the city’s business factions, declined through her campaign adviser to disclose her initial fundraising total, saying that her team was still finalizing the numbers.
“These are astounding numbers for such a short
period of time, especially for Mahan, who is relatively new to the political scene,” said Terry Christensen, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. “This dollar amount definitely strengthens his credibility as a candidate.”
The only other San Jose mayoral candidate in recent years to raise as much money as Mahan this early in a race was Mayor Sam Liccardo, who raked in $513,000 during the first reporting period of his 2014 campaign. State Senator Dave Cortese, who came in second to Liccardo in 2014, raised $175,000 comparatively, according to city records.
“I think it’s a great demonstration around how much energy there is for change and for a greater focus on accountability at City Hall,” Mahan said in an interview.
Candidates planning to run in the June 2022 primary election for San Jose’s mayoral and five odd-numbered city council seats began fundraising on Dec. 9, 2021. Contributions to mayoral candidates are limited to a total of $1,400 per person, corporation or nonprofit organization.
Candidate campaign finance reports for December are not yet available on the city’s Campaign Reports website so it remains to be seen exactly where and from whom each candidate is receiving their support and donations. Still, the preliminary accounts given by the campaigns of the top mayoral candidates signal a competitive race ahead — with a lot of money available to be spent on mailers, signs, consultants and staff.
Chavez, who is currently giving Mahan the toughest
competition for cash donations, said in a statement that she felt her campaign was “off to a really good start.” The region’s largest labor unions have yet to endorse candidates yet, meaning that Chavez could receive a considerable fundraising bump in the future if they choose to back her campaign.
“I am so thankful and humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support from friends, family and supporters,” Chavez said in a statement.
Early fundraising, according to Christensen, is all about establishing credibility as a candidate and proving that someone can run a strong campaign. Candidates then will use the funds to help boost name recognition and rally troops behind their campaigns using mailers, ads and staff.
Christensen said all of
the candidates appear to remain competitive, given the totals they’ve reported after the first month. However, he added, it may get tougher for those trailing behind.
Peralez, who has received about half the donations of Mahan and Chavez, said he was “incredibly proud” of the amount raised, nearly half of which he said came in donations of $100 or less.
“Our diverse group of donors are committed to ensuring San José is a city for everyone, not just special interests,” he said in a statement. “That’s why Catherine, a working mom in Downtown donated $50; Clair, a teacher with East Side Union High School District donated $30; Cindy, a pharmacy tech from Seven Trees donated $20; and Mark, a retired senior in Willow Glen donated $25.”
Dev Davis’s campaign
advisor, Victor Ajlouny, who also consulted for the campaign of former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, said that he was not yet ready to talk about how much Davis’s campaign had raised but added that it was “more than what we thought.” Ajlouny also suggested that the amount of money raised is not an indicator of who will come out on top on election day.
When Ajlouny was working on Reed’s 2006 race, for instance, Chavez, who unsuccessfully ran against him, raised considerably more money.
“We said we felt like we were doing well at that point, and Chuck came in first at the primary and the runoff,” Ajlouny said. “So how much is raised is not intimidating. “They (candidates) have to have a record and it needs to be a record that people are comfortable with.”