Watch CBS News

Kashkari To Court Middle-Class Voters In Longshot Gubernatorial Campaign

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Former U.S. Treasury official Neel Kashkari says he will focus on issues that affect middle-class Californians in his longshot campaign to unseat Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.

KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports Kashkari was in Orange County Wednesday to make his first campaign statements following his second-place finish in Tuesday's primary.

Kashkari To Court Middle-Class Voters In Longshot Gubernatorial Campaign

At a news conference Corona del Mar, Kashkari acknowledged that he faces a steep challenge trying to unseat Brown, who had about 55 percent of the vote compared to 19 percent for Kashkari.

"Let me just tell you this: we feel great, alright? We feel great," said Kashkari. "We really feel encouraged and we're so grateful to have so many terrific supporters."

The 40-year-old ex-Goldman Sachs executive and former TARP program administrator said he will shift his campaign focus to middle-clas issues such as education, jobs, streamlining regulations and scrapping high-speed rail.

CAMPAIGN 2014: Primary Election Results

But Brown - who has more than $21 million in his campaign account and a lifetime of experience campaigning in California - said he thinks voters support his pragmatic approach.

"I'm gonna campaign hard, I take nothing for granted," said Brown.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.