AP: Jerry Brown Returns To Governor’s Mansion

Attorney General Jerry Brown was elected governor tonight, defeating Republican Meg Whitman, who spent the most money by a statewide candidate in American history.

With 13.4 percent of precincts reporting statewide, Brown had 50.9 percent of the vote, compared to 44.3 percent for Whitman, according to figures from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Whitman, a billionaire and former chief executive officer of the online auction site eBay, spent $163 million on her campaign through Oct. 16, according to figures from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Much of the money was donated by Whitman herself, who was making her first run for office.

The 72-year-old Democrat becomes the state’s first former governor to be returned to the office. He had been governor from 1975-83.

Brown joins Earl Warren as California’s only governors to be elected to three four-year terms. California’s term limits law does not apply to Brown because he was elected before it was adopted in 1990.

Brown’s father, Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, was denied a third term by Ronald Reagan in 1966.

Whitman was trying to become California’s first female governor. Democrats twice nominated women for the office, Dianne Feinstein and Kathleen Brown, Jerry Brown’s sister, but both lost to Pete Wilson.

Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, predicted both an improved budget process and economy with Brown as governor.

“The thing he’s committed to doing is an open, inclusive, transparent budget, something I’ve been trying to do this past year and focusing on putting people back to work,” Perez told City News Service from the California Democratic Party’s election night party at the Hollywood Renaissance hotel.

“With a governor who is really committed to growing the economy and investing in small business the way Jerry Brown is, I think we’ll see a significant investment in job creation.”

Brown campaigned on his experience, which included being the state’s governor from 1975-83, along with eight years as mayor of Oakland and a four- year term as secretary of state.

Whitman focused on three issues — creating jobs, cutting government spending and improving education.

The most memorable moments of the campaign were the revelation that Whitman fired her longtime housekeeper after learning she was an illegal immigrant and an aide to Brown allegedly calling Whitman a whore.

Brown was long coy about whether he would run for governor, eventually announcing his candidacy March 2 via a video posted on his campaign’s website.

Whitman formed an exploratory committee Feb. 9, 2009, and formally declared her candidacy Sept. 22, 2009.

Four days later, her rival for the Republican nomination, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, called for her to drop out of the race after The Sacramento Bee reported that she did not vote much of her adult life.

“There has never been a person elected governor anywhere in this country with a voting record like hers,” Poizner said during a news conference at the California Republican Party’s Fall Convention. “Voters will not elect her as governor.”

Whitman has apologized for her voting record.