LOS ANGELES (AP) - The list of candidates seeking to become California's next governor is getting longer.
Republican businessman John Cox formally announced his candidacy for the 2018 contest Tuesday in an online statement.
The San Diego-area resident says the state is in trouble.
Cox wants to ease California's high tax rates, address its multibillion-dollar public pension crisis and improve the business climate.
As a Republican, he enters the race an underdog in a state where Democrats hold every statewide office and control both chambers of the Legislature.
Prominent Democrats hoping to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown include Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Treasurer John Chiang and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Cox previously ran for Congress and U.S. Senate in Illinois, and for president in 2008.
