Jerry Brown Secures Nomination In Gubernatorial Primary

California Gov. Jerry Brown has clinched a spot in November's general election, the Associated Press reports.

Brown finished first in the state's nonpartisan primary, in which the top two finishers advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

The Democratic governor is seeking a fourth term in Sacramento. He was first elected in 1974, and won a second term in 1978. After a hiatus from public life, Brown served as the mayor of Oakland and California Attorney General before successfully running for governor again in 2010.

While Brown is expected to cruise to another victory in November, Republicans engaged in an increasingly heated fight for the second slot on the ballot.

California State Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a conservative former Minuteman, emerged as an early frontrunner in the race to challenge Brown. However, former U.S. Treasury official Neel Kashkari took a lead in the polls late in the race, putting more than $2 million of his own cash into his campaign. Kashkari also picked up the backing of several prominent establishment Republicans, including Mitt Romney and Condoleezza Rice.

Donnelly stirred controversy when he alleged that Kashkari supported Sharia law. Kashkari called the attack "absurd."