California Governor Jerry Brown reiterated Tuesday that despite Hillary Clinton’s collapse in the polls, and the new revelations in her ongoing e-mail scandal, he has no intention of entering the 2016 presidential campaign.
“No, that’s not in the cards, unfortunately,” Brown said, in a message relayed by his office. Last year, Brown told NBC News’ Chuck Todd that he would have run if he had been ten years younger. He appeared not to rule out a run completely. Brown was thought to be a potential dark horse in the race–one who could combine liberal positions on social issues and the environment with a pragmatic approach to the state budget, which he restored to surplus.
Brown outlined a three-point platform for a hypothetical presidential campaign: balancing the budget, taking action on climate change, and investing in scientific research. He drew admiration from the left-wing media, including Rolling Stone and Playboy, the latter claiming that the only reason Brown was not a frontrunner was “ageism.”
The surprising rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) offered an additional reason for Brown to jump in: he is barely younger than the 77-year-old governor, who will be 80 when he leaves office in 2019. But Brown demurred, even though Sanders’s success deterred other potential left-wing challengers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Vice President Joe Biden also considered running, and then–using last fall’s early poll numbers–declined.