California governor Jerry Brown endorses Hillary Clinton

California Governor Jerry Brown is endorsing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for president.

He said voting for Mrs Clinton is the "only path forward… to stop the dangerous candidacy of Donald Trump".

Mrs Clinton's lead in the Democratic race is insurmountable, he said, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has no chance to win.

His endorsement is a setback to Mr Sanders' campaign ahead of the California primary.

"Hillary Clinton, with her long experience, especially as Secretary of State, has a firm grasp of the issues and will be prepared to lead our country on day one," Mr Brown wrote on his website.

"Next January, I want to be sure that it is Hillary Clinton who takes the oath of office, not Donald Trump."

Mr Brown said he has been "deeply impressed" by Mr Sanders' campaign and message of fighting wealth disparity, but Mrs Clinton knows how to push the Democratic agenda forward.

In 1992, Mr Brown sought the Democratic nomination for president against Bill Clinton, not giving up until the Democratic convention.

He never formally endorsed Mr Clinton, drawing some comparisons to Mr Sanders' campaign strategy.

California goes to the polls on 7 June, with 546 Democratic delegates and 172 Republican delegates up for grabs.