Brewer would be 6th to take over Az governorship
by The Arizona Republic on Nov. 22, 2008, under Local, SpecialIf Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano quits to become incoming President Barack Obama’s Homeland Security secretary, Republican Jan Brewer would be the fifth secretary of state and sixth person overall to automatically become the governor.
Brewer would become the second secretary of state to replace a governor of the opposing party.
The first was Democrat Dan Garvey, who became governor May 25, 1948, after Democratic Gov. Sidney Osborn died. Garvey was governor until 1951.
Democrat Wesley Bolin, secretary of state starting in 1949, became governor on Oct. 20, 1977, when Democratic Gov. Raul Castro resigned to become President Jimmy Carter’s ambassador to Argentina. He picked Democrat Rose Mofford to be secretary of state.
Bolin died in office on March 4, 1978. Because the appointed Mofford had not yet won election to the secretary of state’s office, the Arizona Constitution dictated that Attorney General Bruce Babbitt become governor instead. Mofford, who was elected secretary of state in 1978, 1982 and 1986, became governor on April 5, 1988, upon the impeachment of Republican Gov. Evan Mecham. She did not run for governor in 1990.
Jane Hull, a Republican elected secretary of state in 1994, became governor in 1997 after a jury found Republican Gov. Fife Symington guilty on federal fraud charges. Symington’s conviction was overturned, and President Clinton pardoned him in January 2001.
