Jerry Brown to Toss Hat in Calif. Governor's Race

Jerry Brown is set to make it official today and announce his candidacy for governor of California. Brown—derided as Gov. Moonbeam by critics when he ran the state from 1975 to 1983—will be the sole Democrat in the race and will be facing off against either former eBay CEO Meg Whitman or state insurance commissioner Steve Poizner in the November election, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 71-year-old state attorney general is allowed to seek a third term as governor because voters didn't approve term limits until years after he left the governor's mansion. His rivals have vowed to mine Brown's "target-rich" history in politics and portray him as the architect of policies that led to California's current financial mess, although Democratic strategists believe his history of bucking the establishment could boost his chances with the state's disgruntled electorate.