San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a moderate Democrat, is running for governor, but he is not exactly a household name outside of the South Bay.

With little more than two months until California’s June 2 primary, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has his work cut out for him if he wants his name on the November ballot in the governor’s race. 

In his first statewide run, Mahan, a moderate Democrat, is not exactly a household name outside of the South Bay, and waiting until late January to join the already crowded Democratic field didn’t help. 

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Appearances on “The Daily Show,” podcasts and local television outlets have introduced his JFK charm and self-deprecating sense of humor to a wider audience.

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“I just didn’t think there were enough people running for governor,” he told “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart with a boyish smile when asked about his decision to run. Still, he is polling in the low single digits in most surveys. 

“I don’t think that endorsements or the endorsements from the various groups in Sacramento is my path to being governor,” the 43-year-old mayor told me when we met up last week at a cafe in the state Capitol. Trim, wearing a blue suit with a navy tie, he looks a bit like a former soccer player turned coach. “I’m running a campaign focused on going direct to the people.”

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