South Bay labor icon Cindy Chavez will not run for San Jose’s top political seat next year, according to an emailed announcement sent out on Thursday evening.
“San Jose has wrapped her arms around me and I have done my best to do the same,” Chavez wrote in the email. “While I have decided not to run for Mayor of San Jose, I will continue to help move our city forward and help tackle the critical issues impacting our residents and community.”
Chavez, a fixture of Silicon Valley politics for decades and currently serving as Santa Clara County’s District 2 supervisor, ran against Mayor Matt Mahan during last year’s election in a race considered by many to be a major upset that pitted a longtime elected official against a relative newcomer.
The decision by Chavez on Thursday leaves Mahan, a moderate who was supported by the city’s business bloc, without a clear opponent going into next year’s primary. The deadline for candidates to apply is Dec. 8, according to the city clerk’s office.
Chavez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A champion of progressive politics since the 1990s, Chavez served first as a San Jose councilmember before becoming a Santa Clara Supervisor in 2013. Chavez’s first bid for San Jose mayor was in 2006 when she lost to Councilmember Chuck Reed in a November runoff. Last year, she lost to Mahan in a tight race that saw record amounts of money pour into both candidates’ coffers. In April, Chavez said she was in the running for a top administrative position in San Diego County.
This is a developing story and will be updated.