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PHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano has been tapped to be a "featured speaker" at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month.

But the odds of Napolitano grabbing the prime-time spotlight are long. Instead, the governor will be the warm-up act for another female politician whose vice presidential chatter is fading — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is being billed as the "headliner."

At this point, it's not even clear whether Napolitano will be talking while the network cameras are rolling. She's one of many Democratic figures invited to speak on Aug. 26, the convention's second night. The others include former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who will deliver the keynote address.

With party officials mum on the speaking order, and the major TV networks still uncommitted about how much of the convention they'll show, Napolitano's face time could be limited to one of the cable channels doing gavel-to-gavel coverage.

The party's convention committee announced Wednesday that Napolitano will help outline nominee-to-be Barack Obama's economic plans, an assignment she'll share with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius, like Napolitano, was an early Obama supporter who got some mention for the VP slot.

Gubernatorial press aide Jeanine L'Ecuyer said the specifics of what Napolitano is being asked to say are "still being worked out."

"But I feel very confident that she'll be talking about the middle class, the squeeze that's on the middle class now, that people are feeling this in very difficult ways, and the way the Obama approach is the most meaningful way to get out and solve these issues," she said.

In a related note Wednesday, Napolitano rejected speculation that Obama needs to pick a female running mate. The governor said there are other, more significant considerations.

"I think it's going to come down to who he feels comfortable with," she said.

"The criteria that he uses, I think, are going to be who he thinks can step into the presidency should he be, for some reason, unable to serve," Napolitano continued, as well as "who matches well with his policies, with his values, and who he can govern with."

She said Obama has a lot of candidates to pick from, male and female.

In addition to Napolitano and Sebelius, the party's Tuesday night lineup includes fellow Democratic Govs. Ted Strickland of Ohio, Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and Brian Schweitzer of Montana — along with Sen. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and former Denver Mayor Federico Peña.