Secretary of state John Kerry has brought the Obama administration into the billowing controversy in Arizona, where governor Jan Brewer has less than three days left to decide whether or not to veto legislation that opponents say would enshrine blatant anti-gay discrimination into law.



Kerry made a rare foray into domestic politics when he told MSNBC that in his view Brewer should “make the right decision” and wield her veto power. The bill, SB 1062, has already cleared the Arizona legislature and is sitting on her desk for her signature, which she must give by Saturday if it is to become law.

“I’m counting on the governor. I cannot imagine how that law would withstand the scrutiny of the supreme court of the United States, so I would hope that she’ll make the right decision,” Kerry said.

With pressure mounting on the governor from major corporations, fellow Republican politicians and religious leaders, Brewer is continuing to keep her intentions to herself. “I assure you, as always, I will do the right thing for the state of Arizona,” she tweeted . She said she was spending Wednesday locked in private meetings with interested parties – but she also let it be known that those interested parties were drawn from both sides of the hotly-contested argument.



SB 1062, which was passed by the Arizona legislature last week, is the latest in a series of so-called “religious freedom” bills that have swept largely southern states in a backlash to the equally rapid spread of gay marriage rights at state level. Under the terms of the legislation, business owners with “sincerely held religious beliefs” would be free to refuse service to anybody without fear of legal retribution should it conflict with those beliefs; though gay and lesbian people are not mentioned by name in the bill the provision is clearly aimed at them.

A growing list of prominent companies have warned that were Brewer to sign the legislation she would damage the Arizona economy. The list is led by Apple and American Airlines, which have both written to the governor’s office, and joined by Delta Airlines, Petsmart and Yelp. In a statement, Delta said that were Arizona’s bill and a similar refusal of service ordinance in Georgia to be put into effect “these proposals would cause significant harm to many people and will result in job losses. They would also violate Delta’s core values of mutual respect and dignity … Delta strongly opposes these measures and we join the business community in urging state officials to reject these proposals.”

Stung by the cautionary comments of such powerful companies, senior Republican figures have also called on the governor to veto the bill, including former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Arizona’s two senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, have called likewise urged her to veto. “I know the entire business community is galvanized, in a way that I’ve never seen, against this legislation,” McCain said.

Flake was not alone in expressing frustration about the amount of time Brewer was taking to announce her decision. He told Politico: “I hope she moves quickly. I just don’t see any reason to wait.”