The dream is dead. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who previously threw his hat in the presidential ring three times, will not be doing so again in 2016.
“No, that’s not in the cards. Unfortunately,” he said Tuesday, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “Actually, California is a lot more governable.”
Had ‘Governor Moonbeam’ decided to run for the White House, he certainly would have touted turning California’s fiscal situation around with a record $3.2 billion budget surplus, as well a canine running mate that likely would have made for one of the most photogenic First Dogs in history.
The 75-year-old governor raised eyebrows in December when he declined to categorically rule out another bid for the White House. He previously ran in 1976, 1980 and 1992.
While he has not yet stated whether he will run for re-election in November, expectations are high that he will do so given a comfortable haul in campaign funding.
The state’s non-partisan fiscal analyst praised Brown’s new budget, unveiled last week, for modest increases in funding to social services and schools while also committing billions of dollars to pay down long-term debt.
