Governor Jan Brewer has just announced a major decision about her future. Having become governor when Janet Napolitano was appointed to become the nation’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Brewer could have challenged Arizona’s term limits law in court to run for another term. Instead, Jan Brewer today announced she will not seek re-election this year.
Governor Brewer will likely be remembered for signing into law SB-1070, the “papers please” law, most of which was struck down by the Supreme Court, and for vetoing SB-1062, the anti-gay “religious freedom,” license to discriminate bill whig, it turns out, her office helped draft.
The question now becomes, can a Democrat follow in Napolitano’s footsteps and take back the governorship from the Republicans?
Did SB-1062 help Democrats, or mobilize Republicans — or both?
Actually, SB-1062 was supported by a mere 21 percent of Arizonans, so the argument could be made that it helped Democrats.
We’ll see who tosses their hat into the ring.