Donnelly Concedes, Congratulates Kashkari on Upcoming Battle vs. Brown

Tim Donnelly conceded early in Tuesday’s primary election and congratulated his fellow Republican rival Neel Kashkari, who will be facing off against Jerry Brown in November.

Neither Republican came nearly as close to Brown’s numbers at the voting booths on June 3, who earned 55% of the vote. Donnelly was at 15% and Kashkari at 18% when he called Kashkari to congratulate him on proceeding to the general election to take on Governor Jerry Brown as he seeks his fourth term in office, according to the Sacramento Bee.  

Donnelly, a tea-party conservative, and Kashkari, a more moderate establishment Republican, have been working tirelessly over the past few months to get past the other for the second-place ticket to the general election. Towards the end of his campaign, Donnelly had run out of funds and was in debt, which left him out of resources to counter Kashkari on TV. 

Kashkari is a former Goldman Sachs banker and U.S. Treasury Department official who gained acclaim for his numerous roles in response to the financial crisis and subprime mortgage crisis that followed it between 2008 and 2009; he was responsible for overseeing the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP).

In October of last year, Jerry Brown surpassed Earl Warren as California’s longest-serving governor, the Bee notes. If the 76-year old wins again in November, he will become the only governor in California to be elected four times. Brown is the 39th Democratic Governor of California.