From Facebook to Attorney General

Kelly joins six other Democratic challengers

Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly has jumped into the race to be the next Attorney General. And he's written a $2 million check to give him a head start.

Kelly is hoping to replace Atty. Gen Jerry Brown who is expected to run for governor. Telling the LA Times "I'm ready to spend what it takes," he wrote a $2 million check to his campaign to get the ball rolling.

The 39-year-old Kelly joins six other democratic challengers in the crowded race including Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo.

"I think we have a chance to help reduce crime and reinvent California government," Kelly told the Times. "I'm willing to invest some of my own capital to make sure it happens."

Like other Silicon Valley figures who have migrated to politics, Kelly will likely run on his resume as a tech executive. But that could be a challenge.

His career at Facebook has gotten mixed reviews. On his watch, Facebook went through several major privacy scandals, and while Kelly is credited with reaching settlements with law-enforcement officials on some contentious issues -- like a child-privacy case pursued by the state of New York in 2007 -- some have asked why he didn't do more to prevent problems from arising in the first place.

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