Several Democratic state lawmakers attended the rally, including Rep. Robert Meza (left, with phone) and Sen. Richard Miranda (at Clinton’s elbow).

In a telephone conference call with reporters around the country Jan. 24, Gov. Janet Napolitano said presidential candidate Barack Obama has a grassroots movement “like we’ve never seen.” She also said the Democrat’s economic stimulus plan is better than the other candidates.
“It’s focused on the middle class to get some money into their hands so they can go out on a quick basis and get some spending going,” she said.
Napolitano, nevertheless, told Arizona reporters a day earlier that Obama has a tough road ahead in Arizona, considering the results of the Jan. 22 Cronkite/Eight poll that gave Hillary Clinton a substantial 21-point lead over the Illinois senator and learning that an estimated 10,000 people showed up for a Clinton rally in Laveen.
But she said she believes Obama will win the state.
The governor said she understands Clinton has a lot of support in Arizona, but, in the end, what matters is the number of delegates Obama will win.
“When Senator Obama lost the vote in Nevada, he actually won more delegates than Hillary Clinton,” she said.
Napolitano said she naturally was concerned when she saw Obama far behind in the poll conducted at ASU by Professor Bruce Merrill, but, she added, if there’s one thing that has been demonstrated over the past weeks, it’s that the pollsters aren’t going to be able to call the election.
“They’ve been off every time,” she said.
“Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” star Kate Walsh and Napolitano spoke to Students for Obama at ASU on Jan 23, and Napolitano has been on the campaign trail with Obama in Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado since she endorsed him earlier this month.
Polling, party and McCain
Merrill told Arizona Capitol Times studies have shown for decades “there is no evidence endorsements have a significant effect on campaigns.” Nevertheless, Clinton has the endorsement of 10 governors, Obama has five such endorsements, and four governors are for McCain, who also has landed the endorsement of Ret. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.
Merrill also drew a distinction between voters and party politics. McCain, who for years has alienated the bases of the national and Arizona Republican parties with his independence and renegade persona, placed fifth in a Maricopa County Republican Party straw poll Jan. 19.
Merrill said Republican voters in Arizona are either not aware of their party’s politics or ignore the internal workings of the party, adding, “No rational person thinks McCain is going to be ripped in his home state. The concept of party is totally psychological.”
He said, if anything, Arizona Republicans will be influenced by McCain’s primary wins and media coverage.
Clinton visit
An estimated 10,000 people hoping to catch a glimpse of Clinton on Jan. 22 at the Caesar Chavez High School Gymnasium in Laveen stood in a five-deep wide, 200-yard long line.
The school’s parking was full by 6:15 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event, to which Clinton arrived an hour behind schedule. Many supporters ended up parking at a nearby city park. Once Clinton took the stage — a platform near the center of the gym — she was easy to spot, wearing a sunshine-yellow blazer.
The crowd included lawmakers Sens. Ken Cheuvront, Paula Aboud, Amanda Aguirre, Richard Miranda and Charlene Pesquiera and Rep. Robert Meza. Arizona Education Association President John Wright was in the crowd as well.
Many people captured photos of Clinton on their cell phones. Others held up blue “Hillary for President” signs. One woman wore a “Hillary for President” sticker on her forehead.
Reporter Bill Coates contributed to this article.