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Outside spending is pouring into the Mountain View City Council race, with a Realtor’s association dropping nearly $80,000 to support Robert Cox and Paul Donahue, while a group of local unions has put close to $20,000 behind Erik Poicon‘s campaign.
Campaign finance disclosures show that the National Association of Realtors has spent $38,922.08 each to back Cox and Donahue, with the bulk going towards campaign mailers and online ads. The group did not respond to a request for comment about its spending on the Mountain View City Council race.
The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, which represents more than 100 unions in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, has flexed its muscle in the race to support Poicon, shelling out $15,174.48 on mailers alone, according to campaign finance disclosures. The group also spent on phone banking and handouts for canvassers.
Learn more about this race
Candidate Comparison Grids: Mountain View City Council
To help voters compare and differentiate between the people running for Mountain View City Council, the Voice sent a questionnaire to all the candidates, asking about their policy positions across a wide range of issues. Check out their side-by-side responses.
View the comparison grid ➔“Working families are being priced out of the very communities they help build and sustain,” Jean Cohen, South Bay Labor Council’s executive officer, wrote in an email. “Labor is investing in [Poicon] because we need more leaders at City Hall who will fight to ensure Silicon Valley’s prosperity works for everyone.”
The Mountain View Professional Firefighters Political Action Committee has also put money into the race, albeit on a more modest scale. The committee supported IdaRose Sylvester, Cox and Donahue, spending roughly $3,800 per campaign on mailers and door hangers, according to campaign finance disclosures.
Candidates respond to outside spending
All of this year’s City Council candidates agreed to accept the city’s voluntary spending limit of $32,352. However, the spending cap does not include independent expenditures. Under the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, corporations and unions can freely spend on political ads, as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate.
Voter Guide 2026
Get to know the candidates and measures on your ballot with the Mountain View Voice’s 2026 Voter Guide, including in-depth profiles, issue comparison grids and campaign finance coverage.
View the Voter Guide ➔When reached for comment, Cox told the Voice that he was unaware the National Association of Realtors had shelled out approximately $40,000 on his campaign.
“Really? Wow,” Cox said. “That’s pretty amazing.”
Cox said he had only learned about the organization’s support from a neighbor who shared a mailer they had received. Cox said he had also seen an online ad in support of his and Donahue’s campaign.
Both Cox and Donahue have expressed concerns about the impact some large housing developments could have on existing residents. The pair oppose Senate Bill 79, a recent state law that requires cities to permit more residential density near major transit stops, including Mountain View’s downtown Caltrain station. On a Voice candidate questionnaire, Cox and Donahue were the only ones to say that they oppose increased housing density in parts of the city currently made up of largely single family homes.
When asked about potential reasons for gaining the support of the Realtor’s association, Cox told the Voice that his campaign has a strong neighborhood focus.
“Great neighborhoods sell,” he said.
Asked about the independent expenditures, Donahue told the Voice that housing was a central issue in his campaign.
“I would like to see more home ownership opportunities and make sure growth comes with the parks, schools, and infrastructure our neighborhoods need,” he said in an emailed statement.
When it came to AFL-CIO’s involvement in the race, Poicon said that his campaign was not involved in the group’s spending decisions, but that he appreciates their support. He added that he shares the values of working class families and is a member of Service Employees International Union Local 521. Poicon works as a Santa Clara County Library Community Outreach Specialist, assisting people with healthcare, housing and employment opportunities.
“I’ve stood alongside co-workers advocating for fair contracts, better working conditions, and know the difference it makes when workers have a collective voice, so having their support means a lot to me,” Poicon said in an emailed statement.
Check out the Voice’s 2026 Voter Guide, which offers in-depth coverage of this and other local races and ballot measures.
