Councilmember Sam Liccardo defeated Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese in a runoff on November 4, 2014.

As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election was held between the top two vote-getters, Dave Cortese and Sam Liccardo, on November 4, 2014.

The primary election saw a total of ten candidates on the ballot, including Dave Cortese, a Santa Clara County Supervisor and former San Jose City Councilmember, as well as four sitting San Jose City Councilmembers: Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen, Sam Liccardo, Pierluigi Oliverio, and Rose Herrera.

[7] As part of his campaign, Councilmember Liccardo authored a book in which he assessed the issues facing San Jose and offered his own vision for the city.

On May 2, the editorial board of the San Jose Mercury News endorsed Liccardo for mayor, citing the book as well as his record on the council.