Gray Davis backs Jerry Brown, defends California from Chris Christie

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former California Gov. Gray Davis weighed in Tuesday on the cross-country feud between Jerry Brown and Chris Christie, predicting that Brown will easily best the New Jersey governor in a physical fitness contest.

“I’m betting on Jerry Brown in his challenge because this guy runs every day -- I work out every day with weights but I can’t do chin-ups. He can do chin-ups, he can do push-ups, I’m telling you Christie better go on a crash course because he’s doomed for a distant second,” Davis said, standing outside the California delegation hotel on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention.

Christie last week ripped into Brown, labeling him an “old retread” who failed to show leadership. Brown, 74, responded by challenging the heavyset Christie to a three-mile run, as well as push-up and chin-up contests.

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Speaking more broadly of continual Republican attacks on California, Davis said they don’t understand the state.

“I don’t think they get California. We decided long ago to go our own way. I think it’s because we’re too far from Washington, they forget us,” Davis said. “But we’ve become the innovation capital of the world, just figuring things out for ourselves. I like to there’s something in the DNA. I say if you grow up on the East Coast, like I did, you want to join a company. If you grow up on the West Coast, you want to start a company.”

“So it’s much more innovative, entrepreneurial, forward-looking, less bound by the traditions of the past. I think we scare people a little bit because we think anything is possible, anything,” he said. “And sometimes we go over the edge, but sometime we create the iPod, the iPad, Google search, Twitter, Facebook.”

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seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema