California Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in an open letter loaded with jabs at presumptive Republican challenger Donald Trump.  

“Hillary Clinton, with her long experience, especially as secretary of State, has a firm grasp of the issues and will be prepared to lead our country on day one,” he wrote a week ahead of the state’s June 7 primary.  

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Read: Jerry Brown’s Open Letter

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Brown congratulated Clinton challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders for bringing important issues to light. “He has driven home the message that the top 1 percent has unfairly captured way too much of America’s wealth,” but the four-term governor urged party loyalists to fall in line behind the former first lady.  

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Bernie Sanders Roots for Golden State Comeback

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“Clinton’s lead is insurmountable and Democrats have shown — by millions of votes — that they want her as their nominee,” said Brown, who ran for president three times .  

With a recent poll showing Clinton and Sanders tied in California, the former secretary of State has added more campaign stops in the Golden State, hoping to avoid an upset loss.  

Brown said the stakes in this year’s election “couldn’t be higher.” He listed many reasons why he wants to block Trump’s ascension to the White House, lambasting the real estate mogul’s views on climate change (“he will tear up the Paris climate agreement,” Brown said), immigration (“he has promised to deport millions”) and American jurisprudence (“pledged to pack the Supreme Court with only those who please the extreme right”).  

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Trump Pledges to Support Veterans at Rolling Thunder

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“Next January, I want to be sure that it is Hillary Clinton who takes the oath of office, not Donald Trump,” Brown said.  

Contact Rojas at

warrenrojas@rollcall.com
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