Terry Goddard - Political Career

Political Career

Goddard's first serious foray into electoral politics came in 1982, when he led the successful push for members of the Phoenix City Council to be elected from districts, instead of by a majority of all voters citywide.This allowed minorities from certain parts of Phoenix to be elected and represent their home areas and giving those areas a voice on the council. The next election saw the election of the city's first Latino and African-American to the council in over a decade. The measure is credited with significantly opening up Phoenix city government, and in 1984 Goddard was elected Mayor. Within a decade, all of the members of the City Council who had been elected at-large, and who had been considered unbeatable under the previous system, were no longer serving on the Council. Goddard was re-elected four times, serving through 1990.

In 1990, Goddard sought and won the Arizona Democratic Party's nomination for Governor of Arizona, but was defeated in a runoff by Fife Symington III, who, after winning a second term, resigned in 1997 amid charges of bank fraud. Goddard again sought the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1994, losing the primary to Eddie Basha, Jr.

Goddard served as Arizona State Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1995 to 2002.

In 2002, Goddard decided to enter the race for Attorney General of Arizona to succeed Janet Napolitano, who was running for Governor. He was elected that year with a greater margin than Napolitano received for Governor, receiving over 50% of the vote; he and a number of other candidates for office that year ran publicly financed campaigns under Arizona's Clean Elections program.

Goddard was re-elected to the office of Attorney General in 2006 with 60% of the vote. After Napolitano resigned to become United States Secretary of Homeland Security in January 2009 and was succeeded by Secretary of State Jan Brewer, Goddard became first in line to succeed Brewer. (Although the Secretary of State is ordinarily first in line to succeed the Governor, as new Secretary of State Ken Bennett was appointed and not elected, Goddard became first in line to succeed Brewer.)