Jerry Brown back on top after scorning Dems - Frontrunner for governor in CA.

[jefferson_dem]

Jerry Brown back on top after scorning Dems
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, April 25, 2009

(04-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento - --

State Attorney General Jerry Brown enters the state Democratic convention today favored to be the party's next candidate for governor - but the irony of that development is not lost on Democrats who remember when Brown quit the party a decade ago after sharply criticizing Democratic leaders before the very same audience.

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With more than a year to go before the 2010 primaries, the recollections underscore Brown's astonishingly varied four decades at the epicenter of state politics - and what some say has been a lifelong political evolution.

"Jerry Brown has more than nine lives," marvels Cal State Sacramento political science Professor Michael Semler.

As Democrats meet this weekend in Sacramento to size up next year's statewide candidates - and Brown's potential third-term gubernatorial run - some political analysts say those lives will be dissected again.

While critics suggest that political opportunism is at play, supporters say Brown's varied roles in public life - as mayor, secretary of state and governor - have evidenced an independence, strong progressive convictions and a dogged willingness to speak out on issues.

And, they note, he maintains a strong core of support among the party's grassroots. A new statewide poll by San Francisco-based Tulchin Research shows Brown with 31 percent of support from Democratic primary voters, almost a 2-1 lead over his nearest potential gubernatorial competitor, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom with 16 percent, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with 12 percent.

The poll shows Brown with a clear lead among Californians in every major media market - even the San Francisco Bay Area - as well as with voters of both genders and all education levels.

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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/25/MN1B177VN1.DTL