Jerry Brown’s endorsement of Kamala Harris may win independents

California Gov. Jerry Brown and California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow carry a wreath to the Memorial Fountain during annual California Highway Patrol Memorial Service this month in West Sacramento. Also seen are Secretary of State Alex Padilla (left), Attorney General Kamala Harris (second from left) and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (third from left). less California Gov. Jerry Brown and California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow carry a wreath to the Memorial Fountain during annual California Highway Patrol Memorial Service this month in West Sacramento. ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Jerry Brown’s endorsement of Kamala Harris may win independents 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Gov. Jerry Brown weighed in on California’s U.S. Senate race Monday, endorsing state Attorney General Kamala Harris a little more than two weeks before the state’s June 7 primary.

Brown’s support could help her win over independent and Republican voters in November. Harris is leading the race to replace Sen. Barbara Boxer, who decided not to seek re-election, over fellow Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Santa Ana, according to the latest Field Poll. Three Republicans — former state Republican Party Chairmen Duf Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro and Silicon Valley businessman Ron Unz — trail far behind in a field of 34 candidates.

The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the November general election.

On a political insider level, Brown’s nod wasn’t surprising — Brown, Harris and Boxer share the same political consultants, San Francisco’s SCN Strategies. But given the governor’s political iconoclasm and unpredictability, and the fact that he throws around endorsements like manhole covers, his stamp of approval for Harris surprised some observers.

“It’s a rare occasion for him,” said A.G. Block, a longtime journalist and academic who has covered Brown since his first term as governor in the 1970s and is now associate director of the UC Center Sacramento. “The notion that he doesn’t do that very often means that people do listen to him, they pay attention to what his preferences might be. That he’s doing it now lends some heft to the Harris campaign.”

In endorsing Harris at state Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento, Brown said, “Kamala has done a great job, and as her client I know what a hell of a lawyer she is. ... She’s strong, she’s intelligent, she knows what she’s doing.”

Harris praised Brown as “an extraordinary leader” who “calls it like he sees it, gets things done, and he always speaks the truth.”

Respect from independents

The true power of Brown’s endorsement may be seen in the general election, should Harris and Sanchez advance, said Dave Metz, a partner in the Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates polling firm, who is unaffiliated with any Senate campaign.

“A lot of Republicans and independents are going to be looking for signs as to who to vote for, and he has very strong standing among independent voters,” Metz said. “It’s not like having 30 state legislators backing you. He’s a known quantity.”

Brown has a mixed record on endorsements. In 2014, he endorsed Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf — another client of SCN Strategies — a few weeks before the city’s mayoral election. At the time, Schaaf was third in the polls.

Brown’s touch wasn’t so golden in previous years. In the 2006 mayoral election, the longtime Oakland resident endorsed City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who lost to former U.S. Rep. Ron Dellums. In the 2010 mayoral contest, Brown endorsed former state Sen. Don Perata, who lost to former Councilwoman Jean Quan.

“But there’s a difference between that and a statewide election,” Metz said.

Brown’s approval rating is at a high point in his career, with 60 percent of Californians — and 80 percent of Democrats — saying he’s doing a good job, according to a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll conducted in March.

Yet while Brown’s endorsement may resonate among those who follow his career, “the endorsement will not have much weight among Latino voters,” said Adrian Pantoja, a professor of political studies and Chicano Studies at Pitzer College and a senior analyst at the Latino Decisions polling firm.

If Latino voters feel that all things are equal between Harris and Sanchez — should they advance to November — “that’s where the name ‘Sanchez’ will be important,” Pantoja said. “Unless there are some clear differences in policy, they may rely on that shortcut.”

Political deal alleged

San Diego consumer attorney Mike Aguirre speculated that the endorsement was political payback for what he described as Harris not aggressively pursuing an investigation into the deal to charge consumers $3.3 billion for the shuttering of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California. Aguirre has filed suit seeking access to communications between Brown’s office and regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission about the issue.

“It has the appearance of a quid pro quo, and it shows why the case should be transferred to the U.S. Justice Department, because the attorney general is too busy seeking endorsements to work on the case,” said Aguirre, a former San Diego city attorney and federal prosecutor.

Harris was pressed on the San Onofre case during a Senate candidates debate this month.

“We are concerned about what’s going on there, that’s why there’s an active criminal investigation,” Harris said. “And the bottom line is this: We are going to go where the facts lead us.”

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: joegarofoli