Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the third-richest person in the world ($255 billion) according to Forbes, is putting his money behind San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to be California’s next governor, one of several billionaires and top tech leaders to contribute to Mahan’s fledgling run.
Mahan needs the cash infusion to introduce himself to voters. He entered the campaign in January, months after most of the field, and is not well known outside of San Jose. Mahan’s opposition to a proposed statewide tax on billionaires and his advocacy for increasing criminal penalties for low-level offenses and homelessness is apparently attractive to deep-pocketed tech donors.
“Folks in Silicon Valley have been clamoring for him to run,” Silicon Valley fundraiser and Democratic strategist Cooper Teboe, who is not affiliated with the campaign, said this month. “I’ve been getting calls asking if I could help push him to run for months.”…