(SeaPRwire) –
Tech billionaires poured historic sums into California races this primary. But results are mixed. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, loaded with tech cash, conceded soon after polls closed. He got more tech $ than others in gov race, yet had just 4% of votes with 60% counted.
Tech entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal, backed by DoorDash, Y Combinator execs, trails in House race. Rep. Ro Khanna advances. Scott Wiener, with PAC funds, moves to gen election.
Down-ballot, Cerritos’ Mark Pulido, Santa Ana’s David Penaloza stay in race. Ben Allen nears Insurance Commissioner spot. Experts say tech $ alone isn’t enough. Earned media matters more.
Tech ties may turn voters off. Bipartisan study says big $ donations seen as corrupt. Tech firms still lobby hard. Spent $20M on fed lobbying, $39M in CA last year.
They’re in state policy talks. Tech’s role in CA politics isn’t going away. Even if some tech-backed candidates fail, they’re in policy negotiations.