San Mateo, Calif. ? Campaign aides call her “his rock.”

Petite and impeccably dressed, with a scrupulous memory for facts and detail, Sharon Davis has long been an effective if underutilized ambassador for her husband, Gov. Gray Davis.

The recall election has turned the 49-year old first lady into one of his most visible defenders and strengthened her role as his source of emotional strength in this darkest hour of his political life.

“She is the governor’s closest adviser, and she has been the soul of this campaign for the past two months,” said Davis campaign spokesman Peter Ragone.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Sharon Davis said her goal was to acquaint California voters with the Gray Davis she has known for 25 years.

“I read profiles and I don’t even recognize the person I’m reading about,” she said. “He’s genuinely a good guy, a decent hardworking guy who’s had some big challenges.”

With dimples and broad smile, Sharon Davis projects a warmth that seems unforced, softening her husband’s edges. She spends her days traversing the state and delivering speeches, all the while posting her campaign diary to his Web site.

“I think she is able to convey a more personable side of Gray and their relationship,” said Bruce Cain, a political scientist at University of California, Berkeley.

A suburban San Diego native, the former Sharon Ryer was a 24-year-old flight attendant when she met her future husband, then the campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.

As she remembers it, he arrived late to a flight but managed to stop it and board even after it had taxied to the tarmac. When she jokingly chastised him for delaying the other passengers, he barked his first words to her: “black coffee.”

He eventually managed to charm her, and they were married almost five years later.