Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is kicking off his campaign in earnest today with a flurry of activity, starting with his first TV ad, which his campaign just debuted online.
The fast-paced, 30-second spot introduces voters to the former governor and the themes he's been highlighting for months - his claims to frugality, his promotion of clean energy and his record of job creation.
Republican rival Meg Whitman has been running paid advertising for a year now, starting with her primary fight and barely pausing after winning the GOP nomination on June 8.
Several independent expenditure groups, funded largely by unions, have been running paid advertising attacking Whitman since the primary.
The two candidates are locked in a close race, although a few recent polls suggest Whitman may have built a slight lead.
Brown's packed day starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles, moves on to a California Labor Federation picnic in William Land Park in Sacramento at noon, then a Solano County Democratic Central Committee northern campaign office opening in Fairfield around 1:30 p.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. at the Alameda Labor Day Picnic at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park in Oakland.
Don't be surprised if Brown adds another event at the last minute. The Fairfield stop was only announced yesterday, and the campaign publicized an appearance in Manteca yesterday with less than four hours warning.
(Ever industrious, Capitol Alert was there in Manteca.)
Here's the text to the new TV ad:
Voiceover: As governor, he cut waste - got rid of the mansion and the limo. Budgets were balanced. Four billion in tax cuts. World-class schools and universities. Clean energy promoted. One-point nine million new jobs created. California was working.
Jerry Brown: I'm Jerry Brown. California needs major changes. We have to live within our means, we have to return power and decision-making to the local level, closer to the people, and no new taxes without voter approval.
Voiceover: Jerry Brown. The knowledge and know-how to get California working again.
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.