San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has bristled at being labeled right-leaning while stressing he’s a lifelong Democrat. His hiring of a self-described conservative to run his California governor campaign could fuel fresh skepticism. Mahan’s 23-year-old campaign manager, Adrian Rafizadeh, registered as a Republican in 2020, voter records show. Rafizadeh previously worked on Mahan’s mayoral campaign from 2021 to 2022, and as a policy analyst under Mahan as councilmember in 2021. Rafizadeh was also CEO of Back to Basics, a 501(c)(4) advocacy group Mahan launched to tackle homelessness and development policy statewide, in 2024. That role is now filled by Mahan’s former Chief…
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