Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor picks up endorsement from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- As Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor was out canvassing the streets in Oakland on Thursday morning, standing beside him was San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

"I was listening to a candidate forum the other day, where Loren was the one candidate who was willing to be honest about the budget situation. Right? I mean, that's what we need. We need honest leaders who are going to grapple with the numbers. We have had a lot of denialism around the math in our region over the years, over the trade-offs we face," said Mahan -- leader of the South Bay's largest city -- who stepped into Oakland politics to endorse Taylor.

The two talked about how interconnected the Bay Area is and how the success of one city benefits the other.

Taylor welcomed Mahan's support, knowing his main opposition -- former Congresswoman Barabara Lee -- picked up a series of key endorsements from Oakland business, labor and community leaders just this week.

"I know to resist. And, I know how to make sure we form those coalitions to fight back," said Lee at a campaign event on Monday.

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"Most critically, working to keep all of our fire stations open and staffed in order to provide the best possible services to our citizens. And this is why Oakland firefighters are proud to endorse Barbara Lee for our next mayor," said Captain Mike Hillesheim with Oakland Fire Department at the same event.

Mahan and Taylor also spoke of breaking away from establishment politics, which they argue is what Congresswoman Lee represents.

"Business as usual in politics is not going to work. Just have a long list of endorsers, who don't actually have the real, everyday experience that Oaklanders have. That is not going to solve things," Taylor said.

But Nolan Higdon, a political analyst at UC Santa Cruz, says political endorsements may not really sway voters.

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"I think what's unique about Oakland is there is so much hometown pride in a city like Oakland. And I would actually wager that outside endorsements, or people from outside the city of Oakland, carry less weight," Higdon said.

Higdon suggest that endorsements are more about signaling to others within the party which political factions they support. And in an era of social media, endorsements carry more weight when its big hitters like Barack Obama for Democrats or President Trump for Republicans. Stil, he says an endorsement from a neighboring Democrat does help Taylor.

"Something he is going to want to highlight. And use to try and get more donor support and make this race seem more closer than it possibly is to people in Oakland," Higdon said.

The special election for Oakland mayor is set for April 15.