Tough-on-crime mayor and vocal Newsom critic to run for California governor

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced his run for California governor Thursday morning, joining a crowded field of contenders seeking to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“It’s a moment for someone who’s a fighter for our values and a fixer of our problems,” Mahan, a moderate Democrat and outspoken critic of the current governor, told Politico. “I am different from every other candidate in this race.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced his run for California governor Thursday morning.

While he remains lesser known outside the Bay Area, Mahan said he is running to address major issues such as homelessness and drug addiction — problems he says Democrats in Sacramento have failed to solve.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been accused of using social media to troll Republicans rather than address the state’s most pressing problems. GIAN EHRENZELLER/EPA/Shutterstock

“We need to fix California, and I know that we can because we’re proving it in San Jose,” Mahan told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mahan has emerged as one of Newsom’s most vocal critics, accusing the governor of using social media to troll Republicans rather than address the state’s most pressing problems.

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