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Officially, it's called the State of the State address. Unofficially, it's the first speech of Gov. Janet Napolitano's re-election campaign.

The first-term Democrat kicks off the Arizona Legislature today by outlining her ideas about how lawmakers should divvy up the state budget and, even more importantly, an $850 million budget surplus.

Education will feature prominently. So will a pay raise for state employees. And immigration is sure to get some headline-grabbing lip service, despite the fact that it's a federal responsibility.

But make no mistake, Napolitano also is thinking about a second term. The backdrop to her speech — the backdrop, in fact, to the entire legislative session — is that little exercise in democracy and representative government that takes place in 10 short months.

The gov's goal between now and Nov. 7 is to bolster her reputation as a practical, no-nonsense centrist. Today's event is her first election-year chance to let voters in on her vision of government as a tool for solving problems and getting things done.

The GOP-controlled Legislature, on the other hand, is out to do all it can to diminish Napolitano. Republicans will spend a lot of time talking about tax cuts, but their goal is to soften up the governor for the party standard-bearer who will be tasked with taking her down. Of course, they first need to find a standard-bearer, but that's a separate issue.

Keep this dynamic in mind over the next three months as you tune in to the debate up there in Phoenix. You'll hear a lot about bills being introduced, laws being passed and policies that need to be changed. At the heart of it all is politics.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva likely will announce his bid for a third term in late February or early March. Considering the overwhelming number of Democrats in the 7th Congressional District, betting against the former Pima County supervisor could be a sure money-loser.

But that isn't deterring Ron Drake. The 48-year-old Republican resigned his post as mayor of Avondale last week to devote his time to challenging Grijalva.

"I think we can do better," he told the Notebook when asked why he's taking the plunge.

A resident of Arizona since 1996, Drake said border security will be a top issue. Not a bad idea considering the district stretches from Nogales to Yuma.

As mayor, Drake said he's proud of his efforts to improve Avondale's "image" and bond rating. Curiously, though, he couldn't recall his stance on an issue that actually might win him a few friends in liberal Tucson: the passage last September of a resolution critical of the USA Patriot Act.

"It was a few months ago," he explained. "I'll have to review it."

The resolution, which called for revising the parts of the act that "threaten fundamental and civil liberties," passed unanimously with Drake's support, according to a city spokeswoman.

As for Grijalva, he said he's taking nothing for granted. "A race is a race," Grijalva said, promising to run "hard" throughout the district.

At this point, the congressman added, Drake might even have a leg up. "I don't know his stand on tax cuts, Iraq, Medicare and budget cuts," he said. "My positions are known. He has an advantage. He can attack my positions."

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Pederson is bringing in a couple of party stars this week to help him unseat Republican incumbent Jon Kyl.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado will headline a Phoenix event that the Pederson campaign is calling "honesty in government and lobbying reform."

Reid is among the lawmakers who received donations from the Indian tribes represented by GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.