The Eye

Brewer has battled members of her own party in the state legislature over closing the state's $2.8 billion budget deficit, riling conservatives with her proposal of a temporary sales tax increase.

A poll released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm, found that just 26 percent of Arizona voters approved of her job performance.

Brewer also looked like a weaker GOP candidate than state Treasurer Dean Martin, who fared better in a head-to-head match-up against leading Democratic gubernatorial contender Terry Goddard. Goddard, the current attorney general, is considered the odds-on favorite for the Democratic nomination. He lead all comers in poll, thanks in large part to superior name recognition after two previous runs for governor and his high-profile state post.

Martin is still mulling a campaign. Other possible GOP candidates include former Gov. Fife Symington, who told local news outlets this week that he was 50-50 on a bid. The PPP poll showed that Symington would have a tough time making another run for the office, with 54 percent of voters holding an unfavorable view of him. Symington resigned from office in 1997 after being convicted of bank and wire fraud by a federal jury. His conviction was later overturned on appeal.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a name for himself as an anti-illegal immigration activist, has also not ruled out a run.

Arizona political consultant Stuart Goodman says of the prospective Republican field, Martin has the advantage of having run successfully for statewide office and having "an established statewide network." Martin, added Goodman, has "constantly presented his office as the one stable office in state government."

Parker, however, represents a fresh face and "reflects a new direction of the party," said Goodman, who served in former Republican Gov. Jane Dee Hull's administration.

In his speech Wednesday, Parker laid out an anti-tax agenda that should go over well with conservative voters in the GOP primary. In an apparent dig at Brewer, he declared that, "Now is the time to nominate someone to unite Republicans instead of dividing them." And he presented himself as "someone who can fight Terry Goddard on his turf."

Parker's challenge now is to convince Arizona voters that he can take the step from governing a small, affluent Phoenix suburb to governing the entire state.

CQ Politics rates the general election contest Leans Republican.