Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez has conceded the mayoral race to San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan, making him the next mayor of the city following exiting-Mayor Sam Liccardo.
The race between Mahan and Chavez has been the longest since 2014’s mayoral race.
Results from the Santa Clara County registrar of voters as of Wednesday showed 51.32% or 123,436 votes for Mahan and 48% or 117,085 votes for Chavez, with 90% of the votes counted with Mahan having a lead of 6,351 votes over Chavez.
“I have called Matt Mahan to wish him the best of luck in his two-year term as mayor,” Chavez said in a Wednesday statement. “San Jose faces numerous challenges in the months and years ahead, requiring that we all work collaboratively with the entire City Council to reach meaningful and equitable solutions.”
Chavez, a former vice mayor of San Jose, was endorsed by the county’s Democratic party and all city councilmembers apart from Liccardo, who supported Mahan along with other business groups and the San Jose Mercury News, according to a Wednesday KRON4 News article.
Liccardo released a statement Wednesday congratulating Mahan for his win: “Mayor Mahan will be a collaborative, dynamic, and thoughtful leader, who will ensure our government works just as hard as the families we serve.”
Mahan said ,in a statement released Wednesday, that he is looking forward to getting to work as Mayor of San Jose.
“We all want our city to be safe, to prosper, and our mission is to work together for common-sense solutions to end street homelessness, fight crime more effectively, make our city affordable, clean up San Jose and ourselves as elected officials accountable for results,” Mahan stated in a Twitter post.
Melissa Jackson, associate dean of undergraduate education, told the Spartan Daily in its Nov. 10 article about the mayoral election that the race was close and highly contested, with Mahan being seen as a fresher approach to politics.
“If Mahan does come out on top, this would suggest that a majority of San Jose voters are tired of the usual political approaches and are ready to take a chance on someone new,” Jackson said in an email.
Jackson also said Chavez, who ran on her experience as a former councilmember and county supervisor, is considered to be the more experienced candidate of the two.
“Chavez ran on her experience and track record as a former councilmember and current County Supervisor, while Mahan emphasized the need for greater accountability and fiscal discipline in addressing local issues,” Jackson said.
Chavez stated in a Twitter post on Wednesday that even though she was not victorious, she is proud of the campaign she ran.
“We have seen worrying trends both nationally and locally, with candidates, their supporters and special interests showing a willingness to lie, distort, deceive and even dehumanize their opponents. Such behavior not only feeds voter skepticism, it threatens our democracy,” Chavez stated.
Mahan expressed respect and gratitude toward Chavez after her concession in the race.
“I congratulate Supervisor Chavez on her strong campaign and I hope to work with her closely in the years ahead to address the challenges facing San Jose,” he said.
Larry Gerston, local political analyst and San Jose State political science professor, toldSan Francisco Chronicle in its Wednesday article that Mahan will have his work cut out for him.
“He’s not going to have very many friends on the council, that doesn’t mean that it can’t work, but he’s going to have that obstacle to overcome for almost any policy,” Gerston said.
