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Jerry Brown, the former two-term California governor and the state鈥檚 attorney general, officially announced his gubernatorial bid Tuesday on his website. Without any major Democratic challengers, Mr. Brown will likely face one of two wealthy Republicans in November who say their business backgrounds better prepare them to tackle this state鈥檚 deep economic crisis.

But in his , Brown said it was his long political r茅sum茅, which includes his stint as governor from 1975 to 1983, two terms as mayor of Oakland, Calif., and several presidential bids, that gives him the ability to undo what he called the state鈥檚 鈥減oisonous鈥� partisanship.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen our government from every angle -- when it works and when it doesn鈥檛 work -- and it鈥檚 no secret that Sacramento isn鈥檛 working today,鈥� said Brown.

Brown鈥檚 announcement comes as little surprise, as he鈥檚 long hinted about his interest in returning to the office. With San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom having ended his bid last year, Brown is essentially assured the Democratic nomination. (For Monitor coverage of Newsom's exit, click here.)

Meg Whitman, the former eBay CEO, is the Republican frontrunner. State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, himself a former Silicon Valley tycoon, is also seeking the Republican nod. Both candidates are pouring millions of dollars of their own money into their campaigns. (The Monitor wrote about the vast amounts of money already being spent on the California governor鈥檚 race here.)

Either Ms. Whitman or Mr. Poizner would likely outspend Brown, who has a reported $12 million in the bank for his race. Still, according , Brown is currently tied with Whitman.

鈥淛erry Brown has had a 40-year career in politics, which has resulted in a trail of failed experiments, undelivered promises, big government spending, and higher taxes,鈥� Whitman said in a statement, responding to Brown's announcement.

Poizner said the election 鈥渨ill be about the future of California, not the past.... We cannot fall prey to the same high-tax policies and special-interest-run government that has led our state into a fiscal disaster.鈥�

But in his announcement Tuesday, Brown played up his political career. In an apparent dig at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), he said it was time for the state to forgo the notion that political outsiders are its best hope. 鈥淲ell, we tried that, and it doesn鈥檛 work. We found out that not knowing is not good,鈥� he said.

Brown has often been viewed as an iconoclast in American and California politics. He was dubbed 鈥淕overnor Moonbeam鈥� for suggesting that California launch its own satellite, he rented an apartment instead of residing in the governor鈥檚 mansion to save money, and drove his own car.

鈥淛erry Brown is the most unusual politician I've come across in 50 years of politics,鈥� Joe Cerrell, a Democratic analyst, in 2006.

Brown, a septuagenarian, is certainly taking a risk in his attempt to lead California at a time when the state has a record high unemployment rate and faces a $20 billion budget shortfall this year.

But, he says, 鈥淎t this stage in my life, I鈥檓 prepared to focus on nothing else but fixing this state I love.鈥�