PHOENIX -- Gov. Jan Brewer rose to national fame defending the state's immigration law and warning of rising violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. She claimed that headless bodies were turning up in the Arizona desert.
But the claim is haunting her after a stammering debate performance this week in which she failed to back it up and ignored repeated questions on the issue.
Since then Brewer has backtracked and tried to repair the damage she did in her debate against underdog challenger Terry Goddard.
"That was an error, if I said that," the Republican told The Associated Press on Friday. "I misspoke, but ... I am concerned about the border region because it continues to be reported in Mexico that there's a lot of violence ... ." When she spoke earlier this summer about decapitated bodies found in the southern part of Arizona, she said, she was referring to beheadings and other cartel-related violence in Mexico.
In April, Brewer signed a controversial new state immigration law. At the time, Brewer's primary campaign faced serious challenges, but signing the bill cleared her path to an easy primary win on Aug. 24.
A veteran Arizona political observer said her latest gaffes may not sway many voters but could energize Goddard's campaign. "I think it gave him an opening," said Bruce Merrill, a longtime pollster and retired Arizona State University professor. Goddard can play the debate clips over and over as he attacks her competence to lead Arizona.
Brewer stumbled through her opening statement of the debate Wednesday. She lost her train of thought for more than 10 painful seconds as she laughed, looked down and finally regained her composure.
Goddard, who trailed by 20 points in a July poll, said he brought up the beheadings comments because Brewer hadn't acknowledged she was wrong.
