The heat of the Desert

Over at Red State, user redlightgrnlight posted a diary entry about the Arizona Governor's race on Wednesday. I found it very interesting, as this was an issue I was blogging about prior to our California relocation.

It's not much more than some wishful thinking on behalf of candidate Len Munsil, least at this point, as incumbent Janet Napolitano has sky-high numbers: To face Napolitano, however, he'll have to overcome her strong polling. Napolitano's approval rating can only be called stratospheric, according to Survey USA. From its monthly tracking polls, Napolitano's popularity reached its low ebb last August, with a stunning 56% approval rating, with 37% opposed. She's hit her most popular height in the February 13, 2006 poll, with a whopping 67% approval and 29% disapproval (600 adults, MoE +/-3.8%), including 53% of Republicans.

Notice that at the end there--even 53% of Republicans. I would have been counted in that number last year. Napolitano was, to me, a pleasant surprise. I had no issues with her until last year in the wake of her budget vetoes. As AaronVB, astute Arizona college-student languishing in Chicago explains: her missteps have been primarily the stuff only insider politicos pay attention to, like her backstabbing of the legislature on a corporate education tax credit bill. She promised not to veto if the Republicans passed one of her pet agenda items as a compromise and then proceeded to sign her pet bill and veto the Republican bill. All of that made her rather unpopular with the Republican-controlled legislature, but general voters didn't pay attention.

I posted several times on the issue as it evolved, starting with the initial deal and on through until I left town in September. As this from the Republic indicates, the impasse still stands.

Any Republican candidate--Munsil or Goldwater or any other--ought to pound this issue mercilessly; can Napolitano be trusted to keep her word?