Three months ago, Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer was in a fight for her political life. Her support for a sales tax increase had alienated her from her party, her approval ratings were in the dumps and she faced a handful of primary opponents looking to deny her nomination to a full term in office.

Today, however, Brewer’s star is on the rise. Her primary challengers have dropped out, she leads comfortably in the polls and her endorsement is highly sought after outside Arizona’s borders, where her stature is growing among conservatives…

“This is similar to a Sarah Palin-type rise in stature nationally,” said Republican Chuck Gray, the state Senate majority leader. “Prior to the signing of [Senate Bill] 1070, [Brewer] had no more notoriety than any other governor in the country.”