| Jan Brewer | |
|---|---|
| Brewer at a book signing in Phoenix, Arizona in November 2011 |
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| 22nd Governor of Arizona | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 21, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Janet Napolitano |
| 18th Secretary of State of Arizona | |
| In office January 7, 2003 – January 21, 2009 |
|
| Governor | Janet Napolitano |
| Preceded by | Betsey Bayless |
| Succeeded by | Ken Bennett |
| Member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 7, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Ed King |
| Succeeded by | Max Wilson |
| Member of the Arizona Senate from the 19th district |
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| In office January 6, 1987 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | William Davis |
| Succeeded by | Scott Bundgaard |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 19th district |
|
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 6, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Jane Dee Hull |
| Succeeded by | Don Kenney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 26, 1944 Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | John Brewer |
| Residence | Glendale |
| Alma mater | Glendale Community College[1] |
| Profession | Radiologic technologist |
| Religion | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod[2] |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
Janice Kay "Jan" Brewer (born September 26, 1944) is the 22nd and current Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona and a member of the Republican Party. She is the fourth woman, and third consecutive woman, to hold the office. Brewer previously served as Secretary of State of Arizona, from January 2003 until then-Governor Janet Napolitano resigned after being selected as Secretary of Homeland Security in January 2009. Brewer became Governor of Arizona as part of the line of succession, as determined by the Arizona constitution.
Born in California, Brewer attended Glendale Community College where she received a radiological technologist certificate, but never earned a degree. She has served as a State Senator and State Representative for Arizona, from 1983 to 1996. Brewer also served as Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, before running for Arizona Secretary of State in 2002.
Brewer came into the national spotlight when, on April 23, 2010, she signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The act makes it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying registration documents required by federal law, authorizes state and local law enforcement of federal immigration laws, and cracks down on those sheltering, hiring and transporting illegal aliens.[3] Brewer sought a full term as Governor of Arizona in the 2010 Arizona gubernatorial election, and was elected on November 3, 2010, winning with 55% of the vote over Democrat Terry Goddard's 42%.
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Brewer was born on September 26, 1944 in Hollywood, California, to Edna C. Drinkwine (née Bakken) and Perry Wilford Drinkwine, a civilian supervisor at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Hawthorne, Nevada.[2][4] Brewer and her older brother, Paul, lived solely in Hawthorne until she was ten years old.[2] Perry died of lung disease when she was eleven years old, having been ravaged by the constant exposure to chemicals while at the depot. Shortly before her father's death, the family moved to California, seeking "dry desert air and clean ocean breezes."[2] Brewer is of English and Norwegian descent.[2][5] Her maternal grandfather Emil Theodore Bakken was from Norway and her maternal grandmother Carrie Nelson was from Minnesota and the daughter of Norwegian immigrants.[5] Meanwhile, her paternal grandmother Sarah Rosina Ford (original surname Wilford) was an Englishwoman from Buckinghamshire.[5]
She married John Leon Brewer in Nevada, and worked briefly in Glendale, California before moving to her husband's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona in 1970. The couple later relocated to Glendale, Arizona, where John became a successful chiropractor, in addition to finding some real estate success. Settling in Deer Valley, the couple have three children.[2]
Going on to become interested in her children's education, Brewer began attending school board meetings in 1981, and quickly became "unimpressed" by the board's performance.[2] Intending to run for a seat on the board, Brewer soon saw an opening in her local legislative district, and decided to run for State Representative. Brewer would go on to serve in the Arizona House of Representatives for three years, from 1983 to 1987, before deciding to run for the Arizona Senate, where she would serve from 1987 to 1996. As State Senator, Brewer sought legislation with the intention of creating an office of Lieutenant Governor in the state, arguing that holding the office of Secretary of State does not make a candidate qualified for Governor, and that the office should be filled by a member of the same party, should a vacancy arise.[2] During her last three years as a State Senator, she held the senior leadership position of majority whip.[2]
In 1996, Brewer ran for chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, defeating incumbent Ed King, and would serve for six years on the board. She inherited a debt of $165 million, and by the end of Brewer’s tenure in 2002, she left Maricopa County in one of the strongest financial positions of any county in the nation.[2] Governing Magazine proclaimed the County as "one of the two best managed large counties in the nation."[6]
In early 2002, Brewer created a campaign committee to run for the office of Secretary of State of Arizona, to replace outgoing Arizona Secretary of State Betsey Bayless. Brewer faced a tough primary race against Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who attempted to highlight her tenure as a county supervisor by accusing her of raising taxes, after the county had reported an increase in revenue.[2] Brewer responded to the criticism by proclaiming that she had voted to lower the tax rate, and that the county had collected more revenue because of an increase in property valuations. Brewer ultimately won the primary race against DiCiccio. In the general election, she faced Democratic State Senator Chris Cummiskey and Libertarian candidate Sean Nottingham. During the campaign, she fought on a largely conservative, pro-life rights platform, winning by a narrow margin of just 23,000 votes.[2]
As Secretary of State, Brewer instituted a vote-by-fax program for overseas military troops, which would later be adopted by other municipalities, including San Francisco. Brewer also helped marshal changes brought about by Arizona Proposition 200, which required citizens in the state to show proof of citizenship before registering to vote or applying for public benefits.[2]
Governor Janet Napolitano was selected by President Barack Obama to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security in the United States Cabinet. Arizona has no lieutenant governor, so the Secretary of State stands first in the line of succession if he or she holds that post as a result of an election. Despite her earlier quarrels with the line of succession while serving in the State Senate, Brewer was sworn in as governor after Napolitano resigned from her position on January 21, 2009. She is Arizona's fourth female governor and its third consecutive female governor.[2]
In her inaugural address, Brewer promised to keep taxes low in Arizona, in an attempt to attract business from other states, including California. Fewer than two months into her term, however, Brewer proposed a tax increase in front of the State Legislature, causing two Republican members to walk out of the address mid-speech. Attempting to rationalize the tax increase, Brewer stated that she was ultimately forced to ask for the increase due to the state's $4 billion state budget deficit.[2]
On April 23, 2010, Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, otherwise known as Arizona SB1070, into law, making it "a state crime for illegal immigrants to not have an alien registration document," and requiring police "to question people about their immigration status if there is reason." It also makes it illegal for people to hire illegal immigrants for day labor or to knowingly transport them. In addition, it provides provisions to allow citizens to file lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws.[7] A follow-on bill, said to address certain "racial profiling" issues with the original bill, was passed by the Arizona legislature just before ending their 2010 session, and was signed by Brewer on April 30, 2010.[8] Signing of the bill has led to massive demonstrations in Arizona, Washington, D.C. and many other cities across the United States, both for and against the legislation.[9]
On June 3, 2010, Brewer met with President Barack Obama to discuss immigration along Mexico's border with Arizona, and how the federal government could work together with state officials to combat violence there. Brewer remarked after the meeting, "I am encouraged that there is going to be much better dialogue between the federal government and the state of Arizona now."[10] According to press reports, about 1200 national guard troops will be stationed along the border, in a layout still to be determined.[11]
On August 24, 2010, Brewer won the Republican primary, to face Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard in the general election.[12] Brewer was elected in her own right on November 2, 2010, to the office of Governor in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election, earning 55% of the states votes over Democrat Terry Goddard with 42%. This was not unexpected, as polling conducted after Brewer's signing of Arizona SB1070 had shown her as an early favorite in the general election, and she was sworn in for a full term on January 3, 2011 on the State Capitol grounds in Phoenix.[13]
As a result of a ballot measure approved by the voters in 2000, redistricting in Arizona is entrusted to a five-member panel with an independent chair. In 2011, Republicans wanted more favorable lines than those drawn by the commission, and Brewer sent a letter purporting to remove Colleen Mathis, the independent chair, from office. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Brewer's action was illegal and it reinstated Mathis.[14]
Brewer will not be able to run for a second full four-year term in 2014; the Arizona Constitution limits governors to a total of eight consecutive years in office, but former Arizona governors will be allowed to seek third or fourth nonconsecutive terms after a four-year respite.
As of 2010 she has advocated a raise in Arizona's sales tax from 5.6% to 6.6%. The proposal is intended to raise 1 billion dollars a year in order to reduce the $3 billion/year deficit.[15]
In July 2009, Jan Brewer signed SB 1113, which entitles persons in Arizona to carry concealed guns in bars or restaurants as long as they do not consume alcohol, and the business has not specifically posted a sign in accordance with Arizona law that guns are not to be permitted on the premises.[16] Brewer also signed SB 1168, a measure that bans property owners from prohibiting the storage of firearms in locked vehicles parked on their lots.[17] She signed SB 1243, which allows a person who is threatened to announce they are armed, or display or place their hand on their firearm before the use of deadly force.[18] In April 2010, Brewer signed SB 1108, which removes the licensure requirement for law-abiding citizens who choose to carry a concealed firearm in the state of Arizona—the third state in the union with such a law after Vermont and Alaska. Brewer is a member and supporter of the National Rifle Association, as well as the Arizona Rifle and Pistol Association.[19] On April 18, 2011 Governor Jan Brewer vetoed two bills one which set a mandate that anyone running for President must have proof of U.S. citizenship and the other being a bill which allowed guns on college campuses.[20]
In the face of a mounting budget crisis in Arizona, Brewer signed the 2011 legislative budget which eliminates the Arizona variant of the State Children's Health Insurance Program program, known as KidsCare, that provides health insurance to uninsured children[21] whose families' income exceeds the Medicaid cutoff.[22] According to the FY 2011 budget, enrollment caps will also be put into place for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), thereby limiting access to the program. Brewer, at a press conference, said the state had no choice but to eliminate the free health care programs saying, "We do not have the money [...] We are broke."[23]
Brewer called a special session of the Arizona Legislature to join in the class-action lawsuit by 21 state Attorneys General to challenge the constitutionality of that part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that establishes a federal individual mandate to purchase health insurance.[24][25] The mandate was considered by legislators and insurers [26] as a quid pro quo for the inclusion in the legislation of popular changes which will prevent insurers from pre-screening applicants and/or applying higher premiums and coverage caps on people with pre-existing conditions and/or rescinding policies once a patient becomes seriously ill.
Brewer believes in strict enforcement of border security, with absolutely no amnesty for illegal immigrants entering the United States unlawfully over the Mexico – United States border. In addition to signing Arizona SB 1070, she has prohibited state and local governments from giving any public benefits to illegal aliens, in addition to making it a misdemeanor for a state or local government official to fail to report immigration law violations discovered while administering a public benefit or service. Brewer has also supported efforts to re-deploy the National Guard of the United States along the southern Arizona border, in an attempt to provide increased border security.[27]
On June 27, 2010, Brewer appeared on "Sunday Square Off", which broadcasts on KPNX-TV. While speaking on the subject of crime related to illegal immigration, she was quoted as saying that "law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded", a claim that has been disproven.[28][29][30]
On July 11, 2010 Jan Brewer announced that 10 million dollars given to her state by the federal government, most of which was intended to go to education, would instead go to enforcing border security.[31]
Brewer supported Arizona Proposition 107, which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman.[32]
Jan Brewer signed a law repealing legislation put into place by former governor Janet Napolitano, which had granted domestic partners of state employees the ability to be considered as "dependants," similar to the way married spouses are handled.[33]
According to an editorial in the Arizona Daily Star on October 13, 2009, the Department of Administration in Arizona "stated that about 800 state employees are affected and that the cost to insure domestic partners is about $3 million of the $625 million the state spends on benefits."[34] However, the state was giving those employees another year of coverage, due to legal necessity: "A legal review determined existing contracts with state employees will be honored."[34]
A federal lawsuit, Collins v. Brewer, challenging Brewer's action is being heard in federal court. The plaintiffs, represented by Lambda Legal, a LGBT rights advocacy group, asked for summary judgment based on due process and equal protection claims. On July 23, 2010, U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick denied the due process claim, but based on the equal protection claim he issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of the law pending a trial.[35][36] Brewer said the state would appeal the decision.[37]
Brewer's signing of Arizona SB 1070 and her position of Governor made her the recipient of much of the bill's criticism. In response to the various personal attacks launched against her, many of which called her a Nazi, she responded: "Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that... and then to have them call me Hitler's daughter. It hurts. It's ugliness beyond anything I've ever experienced." However Brewer's father died in 1955 (ten years after World War II ended) from lung cancer, believed to be caused from constant exposure to chemicals while working as a civilian supervisor at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. Brewer's father never served in the military nor was he overseas during the war.[38]
After Brewer's statement that "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," a Fox News team investigated the claim. They concluded that in the last two years only one human skull had been found, and that had been the result of animals. Six medical examiners in Arizona from Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Pinal and Maricopa confirmed that they had no records of decapitated bodies.[28][29] Brewer later retracted her previous statement, saying, "That was an error, if I said that. I misspoke, but you know, let me be clear, I am concerned about the border region because it continues to be reported in Mexico that there's a lot of violence going on and we don't want that going into Arizona".[39]
The Brewer administration has also been investigated by KPHO for hiring Chuck Coughlin and Paul Senseman, both lobbyists for Corrections Corporation of America, as a policy advisor and communications director.[40] Although Coughlin continues work as both a lobbyist and policy advisor, Senseman no longer does work for CCA. CCA operates six private, for-profit prisons in Arizona.[41] After KPHO published its investigative report, Brewer's re-election campaign retaliated by pulling all campaign ads from KPHO.[40]
Brewer attended Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona,[1] receiving certification as a radiological technologist.[42]
Brewer and her husband have had three sons, one of whom died of cancer in 2007.[43] Another son was declared criminally insane for the rape of a Phoenix woman in 1989; he has served 20 years in the Arizona Mental Hospital.[44]
| Arizona House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jane Dee Hull |
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 19th District 1983–1987 |
Succeeded by Don Kenney |
| Arizona Senate | ||
| Preceded by William Davis |
Arizona State Senator from the 19th District 1987–1997 |
Succeeded by Scott Bundgaard |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ed King |
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by Max Wilson |
| Preceded by Betsey Bayless |
Secretary of State of Arizona 2003–2009 |
Succeeded by Ken Bennett |
| Preceded by Janet Napolitano |
Governor of Arizona 2009–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Joe Biden as Vice President |
Order of Precedence of the United States Within Arizona |
Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by Otherwise John Boehner as Speaker of the House of Representatives |
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| Preceded by Susana Martinez as Governor of New Mexico |
Order of Precedence of the United States Outside Arizona |
Succeeded by Sean Parnell as Governor of Alaska |
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