Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer won't be allowed to run for re-election in 2014 without a change in the state constitution, according to Secretary of State Ken Bennett, the state's chief election officer.
Bennett said Monday the state constitution limits a governor to a two-term limit and that "any portion of a term counts as a full term," the
Arizona Daily Star reported.
Brewer, a Republican who has repeatedly challenged Obama administration policies on everything from immigration to healthcare, has been considering whether to challenge the two-term limit on grounds that she finished out former Gov. Janet Napolitano's term in 2009 after she was appointed secretary of Homeland Security.
Brewer was re-elected on her own in 2010, and her lawyers contend that the first term should not be counted because she served only two years and was appointed to the position and not elected in a statewide vote.
The governor was out of state and could not be reached for comment, the Daily Star reported. But the newspaper noted that Bennett, who is also a Republican, has a vested interest himself in the 2014 governor's race.
He has already formed an exploratory committee, according to the paper.
Asked if he would take legal action to keep Brewer out of the race should she decide to challenge the two-term limit, Bennett said, "I'm not going to comment on speculative questions about what she might or might not do."
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.