Brown
SACRAMENTO (Legal Newsline) - In perhaps the closest watched gubernatorial race in the country, Jerry Brown reclaimed the office with a win Tuesday over Republican Meg Whitman.
Brown was projected as the winner by several media outlets and current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered his congratulations at 9:45 p.m., the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Brown said he sees California becoming a leader in renewable energy.
"I want everyone in California to know we might, and we will, have tough times, but if we all pull together and if we operate with honesty, transparency, tell it like it is, and level with you, we can meet the challenges ahead," he said.
Brown is a longtime public servant. He was California's secretary of state from 1971-75, its governor from 1975-83, Oakland's mayor from 1999-2007 and the state's attorney general since 2007. His dad Pat has also been governor.
His campaign was forced to issue an apology in October when one of his aides was recorded calling Whitman, a former CEO of eBay, a "whore."
Brown had left a message with the Los Angeles Police Protective League. After he apparently believed he had hung up the telephone, the machine continued to record a conversation between himself and a group of aides. Read more here.
Brown has drawn both praise and criticism for his activism, which includes several environmental initiatives. A free enterprise group, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, called him the worst AG in the country earlier this year.
Read more here.
Whitman's campaign was largely self-funded. At last tally, she had contributed nearly $140 million to her campaign and was the largest self-spender in U.S. history. Read more here.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at jobrienwv@gmail.com.