Gov. Jan Brewer is a tea party darling, but she doesn’t want to lose the Super Bowl or Apple’s business.

NBC reports that three people close to the governor, who championed the state’s “show me your papers” anti-immigration law, will likely veto the legislature’s latest effort at state-sponsored bigotry. A new bill would allow businesses to refuse service to gay people on religious freedom grounds.

Brewer faces the usual pressure from the right, with talk show host Rush Limbaugh claiming, “She’s being bullied by the homosexual lobby in Arizona and elsewhere.”

According to NBC News, Brewer’s concerns are probably a lot more practical. Both Apple, which plans to bring some manufacturing jobs to the state, and the NFL, which is planning to have the next Super Bowl there, publicly criticized the measure.

Brewer has until Saturday to sign the bill or veto it. If you have any strong feelings about how she should decide, feel free to contact her.

— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer