ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE KEN BENNETT (LEFT) AND GOV. JAN BREWER (Photo by Capitol Media Services)
Former state Senate President Ken Bennett took his oath today and became Arizona’s latest secretary of state. His primary duties include managing statewide elections and keeping campaign finance reports, registering trademarks, and recording official acts of the state including all new laws from the Legislature and new rules adopted by state agencies. (Apparently, he won’t have much to do on that last item for a while.)
As Gov. Jan Brewer got to handpick her successor, she and Bennett have agreed that he will take on some extra tasks for her administration by serving as a liaison to the Legislature and helping her sort out the state’s budget mess. It sounds sort of like something a lieutenant governor might do. But Bennett isn’t in line to be governor, yet. The state constitution requires someone who is elevated to that office to be elected to their prior post. As of now, Attorney General Terry Goddard would become governor if something happened to Brewer through 2010.
Bennett has said he intends to run for election in next year, and that would place him back in the line of succession (if he wins).
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