CNN is reporting that Ariz. Governor Janet Napolitano (D) is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to serve as secretary of homeland security.  Democratic sources close to Obama revealed late Wednesday that pending vetting, the Governor is the likely pick for this Cabinet position.

Gov. Napolitano, who previously served as U.S. attorney and state attorney general for Arizona, backed Obama early in the election and was the only elected official in the President-elect’s transition team.  She has a long reputation and has earned a great deal of respect from other governors for her handling of immigration issues especially while serving as Chair of the National Governors Association in 2006-2007.

Napolitano gained national prominence and attention in 1991 when she served as a lawyer for Anita Hill in her sexual harrassment case against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She has also been publicly recognized as the first governor to call for the National Guard to secure the U.S. Mexican border, and received a great deal of media attention again for her speeches at both the 2004 and 2008 Democratic National Conventions.

As the vetting process ensues, a great deal of information further regarding the Arizona Governor’s qualifications will likely surface, and it will be interesting to see how she plays out among the other likely picks for Obama’s Cabinet.