Term-limited Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer won't test the state constitution and run for re-election after all

Term-limited Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer won&#039;t test the state constitution and run for re-election after all — (Image credit: Jonathan Gibby / Getty Images)

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced Wednesday she will not run for re-election this year. Arizona's Constitution has a two-term limit for governors, though Brewer indicated in recent months she might try to find a way around that restriction. Her first term did, after all, come via an appointment in 2009, when then-governor Janet Napolitano left to become Homeland Security secretary under President Barack Obama.

"There does come a time to pass the torch of leadership," she said Wednesday. "And after competing this term in office, I will be doing just that."

Brewer was once a GOP darling, in part because she signed a controversial immigration bill into law — parts of which the Supreme Court later struck down — and because she publicly confronted Obama on an airport tarmac. But she's since tacked a less confrontational course, most recently vetoing a bill that would have allowed businesses to deny service to gay couples over ostensibly religious objections.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.