Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

The Republic | azcentral.com

Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer could be on Donald Trump’s vice-presidential short list.

During an interview Wednesday with Fox News Channel’s “On the Record,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said Brewer, who left office in 2015 after serving six years as governor, is “fantastic.”

Trump will announce his vice-presidential pick during the GOP national convention in July.

Trump dropped clues about who he may be considering during an interview with Greta Van Susteren, saying he was considering five to seven people. He said he is looking for someone experienced in government.

Tuesday night, Susteren said, Brewer had suggested Trump consider Oklahama Gov. Mary Fallin.

“Well also Jan. Jan Brewer has been fantastic,” Trump said. “She has been so fantastic. You know I won so big, her territory, and we won so big. And she is a fabulous woman. And I agree with you, the governor of Oklahoma – fabulous person.”

Trump would not say whether New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in the mix, but called him “a very good guy” and a “talented guy.”

It is unclear how seriously Trump is considering Brewer. In politics, names are sometimes leaked as under consideration for a post as a way of publicly showing appreciation for that person for their support.

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Brewer, of Glendale, said Wednesday night she had not heard about Trump’s comments to Fox.

But, she said, “Like I’ve always said, I’m honored to be able to support him and I would be honored to serve him in any capacity.”

On Sunday, Brewer said during a national news show she was “willing” to appear on a national ticket with Trump, but also said she didn’t necessarily think he should pick a woman.

Trump is expected to face Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state and a former U.S. senator from New York, and both are vying for the critical women's vote.

Brewer, who became a conservative icon of sorts during her six-year tenure as governor, appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" political show. She and other panelists were shown a short list of 10 potential Trump running mates, which included U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Fallin and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

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The names flashed across the screen and Brewer was asked by CNN reporter Jake Tapper if she had a favorite among those names, saying, "... and what about you?"

"Who made up that list," Brewer said, laughing. "They didn't put me on there."

Tapper responded, "What about you? What about Jan Brewer? Would you be willing to be considered?"

She answered, "Of course I would be! I would be willing to serve in any capacity that I could be of help with Donald on. But that's a tremendous list of people to choose from. They're all very wonderful people, well-qualified. I certainly think that Newt, I've known him for a long time, we all have experienced what he can get done in Washington, D.C. And Marco Rubio would be terrific. Mary Fallin would be terrific."

A former Arizona secretary of state, Brewer ascended to the Ninth Floor in January 2009, after Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned to join Obama's Cabinet as the secretary of Homeland Security.

Immediately faced with a historic budget deficit, Brewer was forced to manage the state through its most difficult economic conditions since the Great Depression.

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She ushered through an overhaul of the state's child-welfare system, propelled by the discovery of nearly 6,600 reports of child abuse and neglect that never got a state-mandated investigation.

With Brewer's prodding, the state's long-running lawsuit over funding for behavioral health was finally resolved. The Arnold vs. Sarn litigation had dragged on for three decades. Brewer brought it to an end in the final year of her term, calling it a landmark development.

Brewer also bucked her fellow Republicans when she felt it was necessary.

She battled conservatives who opposed an emergency 2010 sales-tax measure that she proposed. Voters sided with her.

She found herself on the same side as Obama with her 2013 proposal to expand Medicaid, a move that again got her cross-wise with the Arizona GOP's right wing.

Brewer also vetoed Senate Bill 1062, the Republican-controlled Legislature's right-to-refuse-service bill amid threats of an economic backlash and critics' claims that it legalized discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Brewer would not be the first Arizonan considered as a presidential running mate.

In 2000, then-U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., was interviewed as a vice-presidential possibility for then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The spot went to Dick Cheney.

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Republic reporter Dan Nowicki contributed to this article.