Even at age 74, California Gov. Jerry Brown is never one to back down from a challenge.
In a Sunday interview on CNN's "State Of The Union," the veteran Democrat reiterated his request to square off against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in a series of athletic events.
“I'll be 74 1/2 next month," Brown said. "And but here I am. You know, there is some experience. Hopefully, there's some wisdom. So I got kind of warmed up and went on my speech and I said, 'OK, Christie, I challenge you to a three-mile race. Try some chin-ups maybe and some pushups.'"
“Essentially saying that he's overweight?” host Candy Crowley asked.
“No, essentially says this old retread can beat you any day of the week,” Brown answered.
Back on August 27, Christie started a cross-country war of words at a Tampa, Fla. speech to California's Republican National Convention delegates. In the address, he accused the state of making a "bad choice" by electing Brown, calling the governor an "old retread."
"Jerry Brown?" Christie asked. "I mean, he won the New Jersey presidential primary over Jimmy Carter when I was 14 years old. And now I've got to sit at the National Governor's Association with this guy and have him come up to me and say, 'Gov. Christie, stop telling people that I want to raise taxes. I'm not trying to raise taxes.'"
Brown fired back a few days later, laying his competitive cards on the table by asking Christie to partake in some fitness competitions.
"There's nothing wrong with being a little retread," he said at a local union workers meeting. "Not as much hair, I've slowed down a little bit. But I have to tell you, I ran three miles in 29 minutes two nights ago. And I hereby challenge Governor Christie to a three-mile race, a push-up contest and a chin-up contest. Whatever he wants to bet, I have no doubt of the outcome."
Christie responded with little interest at a press conference last Wednesday, vowing that "Brown can have that contest with himself."
WATCH Brown make his initial challenge:
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