California Governor Endorses Clinton Ahead of State's Primary

ByALANA ABRAMSON ABCNews logo
Tuesday, May 31, 2016

California Gov. Jerry Brown has thrown his support behind Hillary Clinton one week before his state's primary contest.

"On Tuesday, June 7, I have decided to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton because I believe this is the only path forward to win the presidency and stop the dangerous candidacy of Donald Trump," Brown wrote in an open letter to California Democrats and Independents, which he posted on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The endorsement comes in spite of a contentious history with Bill Clinton, who he ran against in 1992. Brown, who came in second in the popular vote that year, stayed in for the duration of the primary season. After Clinton had clinched the party nomination, Brown arrived at the Democratic convention with his own party platform, and spoke when his name was placed into nomination.

Brown alluded to his 1992 run in his current letter supporting Clinton, noting that his own presidential campaign had similar ideals to Sanders' and he has been "deeply impressed" with his performance.

But, he continued, the voters have clearly chosen Clinton, both in raw vote count and delegate numbers.

"Clinton's lead is insurmountable and Democrats have shown -- by millions of votes -- that they want her as their nominee," Brown wrote.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Bill Clinton met with Brown earlier this month.

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