The secretary of State is the acting governor of Arizona, his spokesman said Tuesday morning -- and, like most in the state Capitol, he has no idea where the actual governor is.

A bit of a mystery is unfolding this week in Phoenix. Gov. Jan Brewer’s office sent Secretary of State Ken Bennett a customary notification that she would be out of the state for a week. But her office has declined to disclose where she has gone. Her spokesman did not return emails or phone calls but told the Associated Press that he could not respond to questions about the governor’s whereabouts.


Matt Roberts, Bennett’s spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times -- with a laugh -- that his office had made no effort to “hunt her down.”

“No one, at least that works for her, is expressing concern,” Roberts said. “They obviously know where she is, and they are not comfortable revealing that at this time.”


The Republican governor’s notification of her absence was “pretty normal,” Roberts said, and indicated that she would be out of the state from Sunday through Saturday. Bennett becomes the state’s acting governor when Brewer is gone.

On Monday, Bennett presided over the certification of Arizona’s results from the recent election, rather than Brewer. Roberts said he was unaware of any other duties that Bennett would need to perform as acting governor.


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scott.gold@latimes.com