SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California Attorney General Jerry Brown told the editorial board of The Sacramento Bee that he is not morally opposed to the death penalty, even though he said the opposite in 1992. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate made the comment Friday. Brown says he would "prefer a society that didn't have to use the death penalty" but also has said consistently that he will enforce the law.
He was a vocal opponent of capital punishment as governor from 1975 to 1983, once suggesting that banning it would elevate society to a "higher state of consciousness."
Brown also said during a 1992 Democratic presidential primary debate that he is "morally opposed to the death penalty."
Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford says the issue is irrelevant in the race against Republican Meg Whitman.
Poster Comment:
Moonbeam was against it, before he was for it.
