PHOENIX — When Gov. Janet Napolitano ran for re- election in 2006, she rolled out a 60-second television ad that was something akin to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" campaign.
It was basically "Morning in Arizona," with "Janet" — as she casually pitched herself to voters — hanging out around the state with regular people: school- children, families, the elderly.
"Arizona's on the move," Napolitano said in a shot in front of the state Capitol. "But we're not done yet. With your help, we can get even more done in the next four years."
Make that two years.
Just 24 months into her second term, Napolitano will board a plane to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday without a scheduled return — leaving a state not nearly as prosperous as the one she portrayed two years ago.
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The governor, who won re-election with 63 percent of the vote in 2006, is likely to be the nation's next secretary of homeland security, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Friends and foes don't agree on her legacy, but there is some general consensus.
By using her veto power more than any other governor in state history, Napolitano often outwitted legislative Republicans and provided a counterbalance to conservative policies. Her handling of the immigration issue has now landed her a national career. And her blunt style of politics and workaholic attitude helped Napolitano win every county in the state in her re-election campaign.
Arizonans came to know her as Janet. She was the first Democrat to be elected governor in a generation. And her popularity remains sky-high.
But when Napolitano takes the podium at the state Capitol today to deliver her final State of the State address, she will do so with the expectation of resigning within days — and leaving the state as it faces a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Next year looks even worse: a potential $3 billion deficit that lawmakers will need to address.
Napolitano, though, views Arizona's future optimistically.
"I'm leaving behind a state that is young, that is vigorous, that has huge potential," she said in a recent interview. "And it's not one-person-dependent."
Focus on education
Napolitano lists education policies among her top accomplishments.
Most notably, she managed to provide state funding for all-day kindergarten programs in public schools. Many school districts already had been offering the programs when she came into office, but with Napolitano's political muscle, she was able to funnel funds to all schools. That freed up local money for other programs.
She also championed higher graduation standards in Arizona high schools, a cause that found support among Republicans.
"Though you don't see numbers change immediately when you're doing basic education reforms, I think you will see things change over the next generation of students," Napolitano said.
And Napolitano also takes credit for Arizona's universities being more "recognized," as she puts it. In particular, her support of a University of Arizona medical school in downtown Phoenix helped make that project a reality, especially as some legislative leaders looked to pull funding for the campus.
But she also has some regrets. With the exception of former Senate President Tim Bee, a Tucson Republican who calls Napolitano a "friend," the Democratic governor maintained an acrimonious relationship with the GOP-run Legislature.
"I wish I had been able to build stronger relationships with legislative leadership on the Republican side," Napolitano said. "But it takes both sides to want to do that, and I just could never cross the bridge, particularly on the House side, and I'm sorry about that."
"Smarter than everybody else"
State Rep. Phil Lopes, a Tucson Democrat who was the House minority leader for four of Napolitano's six years in office, openly disagreed with the governor at times.
When Napolitano conceded to a Republican tax-cut package in 2006 — which she campaigned on that year but now says she regrets supporting — Lopes voted against the governor's budget.
But now he says that looking back, Napolitano balanced political necessity with a progressive agenda. And even he found himself outsmarted by Napolitano at times.
"She works harder than everybody else, and she's smarter than everybody else," Lopes said. "And nobody could keep up with her."
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat who represents Southern Arizona, also had ideological disagreements with Napolitano — namely on the immigration issue, which she will now be charged with addressing nationally. Despite those differences, Grijalva said Napolitano will be remembered as "gutsy."
"Many times we took her leadership and ability for granted," Grijalva said. "Her legacy is going to be particularly noticeable in her absence."
A number of moderate Republicans served in Napolitano's Cabinet or on her staff, and some endorsed her in 2006. But some remain unmoved, such as Alberto Gutier, a Republican activist who served as director of highway safety for Napolitano until the two bumped heads.
"With her style, she doesn't accept any advice or criticism," Gutier said. "Once she gets caught in the Beltway bubble and establishes her own friendships in D.C., she may decide she's better off staying there. And I think we'd be very well served with her staying in Washington."
And Gutier is one who puts blame on Napolitano for the state's financial situation.
"She increased government spending and basically bankrupted the state by passing a budget that created a billion-dollar-plus deficit this year that could have been fixed," he said.
Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, agrees.
"How could she not accept any responsibility for what's happening now?" Burns said. "She's the top elected official in the state. She has complete responsibility."
But Napolitano and her defenders blame the situation on national trends. She also has made the decision to present a 2010 budget to the Legislature, even though she won't likely be here to lobby for it.
"It's up to the Legislature to make good decisions with that plan, and they need to get at it," Napolitano said Friday. "No governor could govern beyond the national recession at this point. Every governor now in every capitol across the country is dealing with this right now."
"A girl from Albuquerque"
What's next for Napolitano here in Arizona remains unknown.
She hasn't even been confirmed for homeland security secretary, but already there's speculation about whether she'll run for office here again.
She doesn't entertain it.
And she minimizes the frustration that fellow Democrats may have with her departure.
"I'm leaving to go work for a Democratic president," she said. Only "one or two" have concerns about her leaving a Republican governor in control of the state, she said. "The line of succession is something, again, that I can't control, but it is something that might be taken up."
Sitting at her desk at the state Capitol Friday, most of her belongings already packed away, Napolitano said she'll miss her staff — and smelling the orange blossoms in the morning from her patio.
But as she indicated in an interview last month, the magnitude of the moment isn't lost on her. She recalled a visit to the White House for a governors dinner shortly after being elected in 2002.
"How does a girl from Albuquerque end up here?" she remembers thinking. "And I occasionally have those moments. It's almost as if you're watching yourself."
Ultimately, Napolitano said, leaving wasn't a decision made in haste.
"I love being governor," she said. "But this is a time that doesn't repeat itself and may not repeat itself in my adult lifetime."
Did You Know
Janet Napolitano was the first woman to be elected governor of Arizona without rising to the office through the resignation or impeachment of another governor.
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