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Democrat attorney general finally wins in 'ugliest race'
By Tom Squitieri, USA TODAY
Janet Napolitano's reputation as a tough, tireless political fighter carried her to victory in what Arizona's newspapers called the "tightest and ugliest race for governor in memory."
Her victory gave Democrats a key win in a Western state that is increasingly up for political grabs. It also made history: She is the first woman to be elected governor to succeed another elected female governor, Republican Jane Hull. Napolitano, 44, was on the offense for most of her battle against former Republican congressman Matt Salmon. She released proposals to balance the state's budget, increase classroom spending, improve health care for the elderly and launch better services for children and women. She challenged Salmon to reveal his position on each issue. She also attacked Salmon's voting record during his three terms in Congress. She suggested he orchestrated Arizona's school funding crisis when, as a state senator in the 1990s, Salmon opposed $500 million in increases in education spending that were linked to inflation. Napolitano argued that Salmon was too conservative for the state. As for herself, "I'm hard to pigeonhole. I'm very pro-choice, but I'm also a prosecutor." Napolitano had to fend off charges that while serving as U.S. attorney in Arizona, she had improperly blocked a search warrant for a serial child molester. She also was criticized for allegedly flip-flopping on victims' rights — opposing a constitutional amendment to create a victims' bill of rights, then changing her position once she became the top state prosecutor. Napolitano was born in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh and New Mexico. She moved to Phoenix in 1983 to be a law clerk and was named U.S. attorney for Arizona in 1993 by President Clinton. She won the state attorney general's post in 1998. Napolitano is single and has no children.
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