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California Gov. Jerry Brown endorses Hillary Clinton

In a tweet, Bernie Sanders seemed to compare himself to the Golden State Warriors, who came back from a 3-1 deficit to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals
Clinton adds campaign events in California, feeling pressure from Bernie Sanders 04:20

California Governor Jerry Brown says he's voting for Hillary Clinton when his state goes to the polls next week, though he said he was "deeply impressed" with Bernie Sanders' performance in the primary contests.

"He has driven home the message that the top one percent has unfairly captured way too much of America's wealth, leaving the majority of people far behind," Brown wrote of Sanders in an open letter to Democrats and independents. "In 1992, I attempted a similar campaign."

But Brown then went on to praise Clinton for making the case "that she knows how to get things done and has the tenacity and skill to advance the Democratic agenda." He also pointed out that Clinton has won 3 million more votes than Sanders, as well as "hundreds more delegates. Mathematically, Clinton's lead is "insurmountable and Democrats have shown - by millions of votes - that they want her as their nominee," Brown said in the letter.

A few years ago, few might have predicted that Brown would support Hillary Clinton during a presidential primary. In 1992, he was in a bitter fight against Bill Clinton for the presidency, and in one infamous moment from one of their presidential debates, Brown accused Bill Clinton of funneling state business work to Hillary Clinton's law firm.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife," Bill Clinton seethed. "You're not worth being on the same platform as my wife. I never funneled any money to my wife's law firm. Never."

And in 2010, when Brown was running for governor, he jabbed at Bill Clinton over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, although soon after he apologized, said it was wrong for him to have made the joke, and called Clinton "an excellent president."

Sanders and Clinton neck and neck in California 01:58

Any major differences between them seem to have been smoothed over -- Bill Clinton met with Brown at the governor's mansion in March, and according to the New York Times, they talked for an hour and a half, in part about the presidential campaign. They face a common adversary now -- the presumed GOP nominee, Donald Trump.

The California governor opposes Trump's stances on climate change, immigration, nuclear weapons and the Supreme Court. Trump, Brown wrote, "will tear up the Paris Climate Agreement,...has promised to deport millions of immigrants and ominously suggested that other countries may need the nuclear bomb." Under a Trump presidency, Brown also fears that Supreme Court vacancies would be filled "with only those who please the extreme right."

"This is no time for Democrats to keep fighting each other," Brown wrote. "The general election has already begun....Next January, I want to be sure that it is Hillary Clinton who takes the oath of office, not Donald Trump."

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