Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 20, 2008; 11:48 AM
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), whose handling of immigration issues brought her accolades from fellow governors, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to serve as secretary of homeland security, Democratic sources said yesterday.
Napolitano, 50, was an early supporter of Obama and was the only sitting governor and current elected official tapped to serve on his 12-member transition advisory board.
She was reelected in 2006 to a second term as governor of Arizona, the home state of Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in the race against Obama. Term limits would prevent her from running again.
Napolitano -- a former U.S. attorney for Arizona and state attorney general, and the first woman in both posts -- was said also to be a candidate for attorney general. Her fate became clearer once Obama tapped his campaign co-chairman and former Justice Department official Eric H. Holder Jr. as his top choice to head the Justice Department this week.
A source close to the process said that her selection was "99 percent" complete, while another added, "It's homeland security." Napolitano's selection was made pending vetting, according to CNN, which first reported the decision.
The governor's spokeswoman, Jeanine L'Ecuyer, said Napolitano had no comment.
"She's not looking for another job, and the president-elect will announce his Cabinet selection when he's ready to do that," L'Ecuyer said yesterday.
Napolitano came to national prominence in 1991 when she served as a lawyer for Anita Hill in her sexual harassment case against then-nominee and later Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Her swift ascent in Republican-leaning Arizona made her a rising Democratic star. Appointed U.S. attorney for the state by then-President Bill Clinton in 1993, she was elected state attorney general in 1998 and governor in 2002 and in 2006 became the first Democratic governor in a quarter century to win reelection.
She addressed the Democratic Party's 2004 and 2008 presidential conventions, and began advising Obama in 2007.
Despite the Clintons' role in her career, Napolitano endorsed Obama over former first lady Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) shortly before Arizona's Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primary. As a female elected Democrat, her backing at the time carried extra clout.
At the time, Obama said, "I think she is enormously talented, and I think anyone would be happy to have her working for them."
In office, Napolitano gained national attention for her handling of immigration and security matters. In early 2006, she was the first governor to call for National Guard troops to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, months before President Bush announced plans to do so.
Arizona has also led efforts to share law enforcement intelligence among state and local agencies and its neighbors California , New Mexico and Texas.
Napolitano became the first female governor elected to chair the National Governors Association in 2006, serving a year-long term.
She had been considered a possible 2010 candidate for Senate, when McCain is up for reelection.
If Napolitano departs to serve in Obama's Cabinet, Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer, a Republican, will become governor. The GOP currently controls both houses of the state legislature.