Brewer won’t seek third term

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) will not challenge her state’s constitution and seek a third term in office.

“There does come a time to pass the torch of leadership,” Brewer said on Wednesday, according to reports. “And after completing this term in office, I will be doing just that.” 

{mosads}Many had assumed Brewer would not run again. A provision in the state constitution says the governor is limited to two terms, even if the term includes “any part of a term served.”

Brewer has served in office since 2009, when she took over from then-Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), who stepped down to run the Homeland Security Department during President Obama’s first term. 

After serving out the end Napolitano’s term in 2009, Brewer solidified her seat with a 2010 victory over Democrat Terry Goddard. 

In the past, Brewer had not ruled out another run for office, which would have likely required a court challenge. She had previously said she had talked to legal scholars about the issue and determined there is ambiguity in the language. 

During the announcement, she emphasized her work on education and the economy, according to reports. She is one of five female governors throughout the country. 

Brewer has become a national figure after a series of controversial proposals emerged out of the state legislature. 

She recently vetoed a bill that would have strengthened a law allowing Arizona businesses to cite their sincerely held religious beliefs when refusing service to gay people, among others. 

During her reelection in 2010, Brewer signed a strict immigration law that allowed law enforcement to check the citizenship status of individuals while they were detained, among other provisions.

In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the portion of the law that allowed law enforcement to check the immigration status of detained individuals. But it struck down a number of other provisions, ruling federal law preempted the state law in those cases.