Brown to Run for Re

LOS ANGELES - Gov. Jerry Brown, already the longest-serving governor in California history, announced Thursday that he would run for an unprecedented fourth term.

Mr. Brown's re-election bid has been widely anticipated and his announcement came with understated fanfare - in a Twitter posting with a simple picture of him taking out papers in the secretary of state's office.

In an email to supporters, Mr. Brown acknowledged that his latest bid for office would have seemed implausible when he first ran for governor four decades ago.

'At this stage of my life, I can say - without any hesitation - that I am prepared and excited to tackle these challenges and the many others that lay before us. In fact, there is nothing I would rather do,' he said in the statement. 'By the grace of God and habits of perseverance instilled in me by my family, the Dominican nuns and the Jesuits, I am here and ready to go.'

Mr. Brown cited his work on repairing the state's persistent budget troubles. The state had a deficit of more than $25 billion when he took office in 2011 and now has a surplus. The governor has also been working to persuade his fellow Democrats who control the legislature to stock away money for a rainy-day fund.

Mr. Brown also acknowledged the record drought, which has renewed decades-old conflicts among parts of the state, and he promised to 'achieve sensible, scientific and sustainable water policies.'

'The current drought is a portent of weather to come,' he wrote. 'It should awaken us to the actions we need to take this year and in the years to follow.'

Two Republicans are planning to challenge Mr. Brown - Neel Kashkari, a former Treasury official who was the architect of the nation's bank bailout, and Tim Donnelly, an assemblyman from Southern California.