Brewer Won't Seek Re-Election (Sigh Of Relief)

On Wednesday, Arizona governor Jan Brewer, who famously vetoed the state's anti-gay bill last month, announced she wouldn't be seeking another term in office. Brewer has been state governor since 2010, and is the third consecutive woman to hold the post. At a Park Meadows Elementary event in Glendale, Brewer said she wouldn't be seeking re-election for a third term.

At the Glendale event, the Republican governor announced: "There does come a time to pass the torch of leadership, so after completing this term in office I will be doing just that. While I will no longer be governor after this year, I will remain a proud cheerleader and champion for this state that I love so dearly."

Brewer was elected Arizona Secretary of State in 2009, and became governor in 2010. That same year, she signed the nation's then-harshest bill regarding illegal immigration, SB 1070, which was strongly criticized by President Obama. In 2012, she greeted the president in Arizona with a now-infamous "finger wag." The White House called their meeting "good;" Brewer's office said it was "cordial."

Later, Brewer called the president "somewhat thin-skinned and a little tense, to say the least.”

Still, Brewer came to the nation's aid on Feb. 26 this year, having been presented with a bill that would allow business to discriminate against customers for "religious reasons" — effectively legalizing discrimination against the gay community. The bill, SB 1062, was passed by the state legislature and required Brewer's veto to stop it going into law. If she'd refused to veto, even without signing it, it would have been passed under Arizona law.

Thankfully, Brewer vetoed the bill. “It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want,” she noted at the time.

On Wednesday, Brewer swore to work until the final day of her term: ""My pen and veto stamp have plenty of ink," she declared.