In 1998 he was elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving four two-year terms, the second as Chairman of the Education Committee, and the third and fourth as President of the Senate (2003-2007) [REF].
When Jan Brewer ascended from Arizona Secretary of State to Governor upon Janet Napolitano's resignation to become United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Bennett was selected as the new Secretary of State, being sworn in on January 26, 2009 [REF].