The Washington Post

Brown campaigns to become top Calif. lawman

By Michael Fitzgerald
Reuters
Wednesday, June 7, 2006; 9:16 PM

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) – Having spent two terms as
California governor, run for president three times and dated at least
one rock star, Jerry Brown has long served as an eclectic voice in
American politics.

After his Democratic primary win on Tuesday, Brown, who is ending his
second term as mayor of Oakland, campaigned on Wednesday across
California to conquer yet another political office, this time the job
of state attorney general.

In the day after a landslide win in the primary election, Brown, 68,
made campaign stops in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego, Sacramento and
Bakersfield.

Brown emphasized he had no aspirations to run for governor again, or
other elective office besides state attorney general. “At my age, I
prefer to focus on the task ahead, which is four years of hands-on
work as attorney general,” he told reporters in Sacramento.

Brown was again following in his father’s footsteps in seeking the job
of top state law enforcer, this time in reverse order. Pat Brown
served eight years as attorney general before his 1958 election to
governor.

The son, by contrast, served as governor of the nation’s most populous
state from 1975 to 1983 and only sought the attorney general job a
quarter of a century later.

“I will have to say, this job, I am truly prepared for,” he said. “You
could question some of the others.”

Brown’s low-key style as governor in the 1970s included living in a
modest apartment near the state Capitol building when he could have
lived in the governor’s mansion. He also made headlines by dating rock
singer Linda Ronstadt.

Brown was single until last year when he married Ann Gust, former
chief counsel for clothing chain operator Gap Inc. She is now serving
as his campaign manager.

“I am younger than he is but I feel older most days,” she said. “He
has a lot of energy and he wears me out.”

Brown is facing state Sen. Chuck Poochigian, a Republican from the
Central Valley city of Fresno. Polls suggest Brown has a big edge in
popularity and name recognition as few voters know Poochigian.

“That choice will be between my strongly held concern for the victims
of crime and the mayor’s emphasis on his political pedigree,”
Poochigian said on Tuesday.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress