DENVER - One of the state's highest ranking conservative Democrats said today that Attorney General Jerry Brown, a potential 2010 gubernatorial candidate who was once widely seen as a lion of the left, had re-emerged in recent years as a pragmatic moderate.

Brown "has become more moderate over his career," said U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Atwater), a three term congressman from the Central Valley who is a member of the conservative House Blue Dog Democrat coalition.

Cardoza, who is here to attend the Democratic National Convention, suggested that Brown had shown strong leadership during his tenure as mayor of Oakland and as Attorney General, a post he has held for nearly two years.

Brown is one of a crowded field of potential gubernatorial candidates that includes San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former state Controller Steve Westly. 

Brown has had a long career in Golden State politics. He served two terms as governor and prior to that as secretary of state. In 1992 he waged a failed campaign for president.