Election 2008: Napolitano backs Obama, raises profile

Gov. Janet Napolitano endorsed Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race Friday, and her decision raised the question of whether she would join the Illinois Democrat as his running mate if he wins the nomination.

If Obama prevails over Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the race, adding Napolitano to the ticket might re-energize women voters disappointed by Clinton’s loss.

Napolitano, 50, sidestepped questions Friday on whether she’d serve in an Obama administration. But the senator called Napolitano “enormously talented” in a conference call and said she would be an asset to an administration.

Napolitano was elected governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. She was U.S. attorney for Arizona in the Clinton administration and served one four-year terms as Arizona attorney general.

If nominated for vice president, she would have to step down as governor under Arizona’s resign-to-run law and surrender the office to Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer.

The governor’s endorsement came in time for the Arizona primary, one of 24 states voting Feb. 5, and was a surprise to some. By picking Obama, she shunned Clinton, the first formidable female candidate for president, and discounted her ties to the Clinton administration.

“This is a crucial moment, and it’s a critical time and a critical race,” said Napolitano, who suggested Democrats could win the state in 2008.

Arizona went for Bill Clinton in 1996, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won the state since Harry Truman in 1948.

“This endorsement is based on my belief in your leadership and vision and the fact that we need a new message of hope and solidarity of coming together in Washington, D.C.,” Napolitano told Obama.

Napolitano said her decision in favor of Obama over Clinton didn’t revolve on gender or race.

“This election is fundamentally about change,” she told Arizona reporters after the conference call. “It’s about a new vision in Washington, D.C. It’s about bringing people of different areas of the country together, it’s about bringing people of different parties together, people of different ages together. To me, Sen. Obama is evidence of that change that we need.”

Tom Volgy, a University of Arizona political science professor and former Tucson mayor, told The Associated Press that Napolitano’s endorsement carries weight in the state.

“On the other hand, these kinds of (voter) decisions, particularly in the primaries, are often deeply emotional acts,” Volgy said.

Napolitano would bring a tough stance on immigration to a Obama ticket and the experience of being an executive. Napolitano signed the Arizona employer sanctions law in 2007 and sent National Guard troops to the border in 2006.

When the Legislature convenes Monday, she faces the challenge of balancing the state budget without raising taxes or slashing programs.

“Yeah, we have to change our path a little bit,” Napolitano told reporters last week, “but we don’t just shut the doors and say we’re going home. We’re not going backward. We’re not going to do that.”

Includes information from The Associated Press.