Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday made a fundraising appeal on behalf of state Senate President Russell Pearce, a fellow Republican known nationally for championing legislation against illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Pearce faces a Monday deadline to go to court to try to head off the recall election scheduled to be held Nov. 8 in his Mesa legislative district.
Brewer said in the emailed appeal on behalf of Citizens Who Oppose the Pearce Recall that she wants to support Pearce, whom she called an "American patriot."
The appeal cited the 2010 law known as SB1070 that Pearce championed and Brewer signed into law and other Pearce-backed bills on illegal immigration.
"Once again, it is time to take a stand against those who boycott and hurt our state," Brewer said. "We need leaders who believe in securing our border and protecting our citizens. Russell Pearce is that man, and we need (to) keep him on our team."
Brewer last week issued a proclamation calling the Nov. 8 special vote. She did that after state and Maricopa County election officials certified that Pearce opponents collected enough voter signatures to force an election.
Pearce's name automatically goes on the ballot, but any challenger must collect at least 621 voter signatures to qualify to oppose him.
Jerry Lewis, a Mesa man who is an executive with a charter school company, has said he may challenge Pearce in the election.
State and county elections officials certified on July 8 that recall supporters had submitted 10,365 valid signatures. They needed 7,756.
Recall drive organizers said when they launched their drive that Pearce had failed to focus on important concerns such as protecting public education and ensure access to health care, and more recently they've been critical of his hard-edged stance on illegal immigration.
In a statement he submitted Friday to go on the ballot, Pearce said he strives to promote "freedom, excelling schools, vibrant economic growth, job creation, balanced budgets, strong law enforcement and secure borders."
AmericanPatriot posted at 2:49 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
Arizona republicans will back Senate President Russell Pearce or look pretty dang foolish and risk losing the support of the republican party. I've yet to hear republican Jerry Lewis step forward to announce that he will run against the republican party. This should be very interesting to see which republicans want to ruin their political career. Lewis doesn't have a political career to lose so he's a perfect totally inexperience candidate.
CooperG posted at 2:55 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
You would think that if the Governor was going to waste, er, spend her political capital on Pearce, she should at least get the fact straight. Whoever wrote this for her, certainly couldn't have fact-checked this statement. I'd guess is wasn't fact-checked at all.
First, Governor, the group Citizens for a Better Arizona organized as a recall committee, and not a lobbying or candidate committee. That means it is impossible for them to be "The very same organizations and individuals who organized boycotts of Arizona, who opposed me in my last election, and who have consistently been advocates for unsustainable government spending are at it again."
Second, the group has never supported any boycott and I challenge you or Senator Pearce to prove they have. I'll suggest someone start a timer to see how long it takes you.
Finally, why is it that the Governor's entire letter deals with immigration and securing the border when that point was conveniently left out of Russel's defense letter? If it's so important for Brewer to focus on, then isn't it important for the voters when they're in the voting booth?
Maybe it's because it's the only issue Pearce has that he can raise money on. Maybe it's because he can't talk about jobs, schools, healthcare for seniors and babies, raiding county, city and town budgets to make himself look good and the Fiesta Bowl.
Brewer's letter just shows again Pearce is a one-trick pony and refuses to discuss other issues even when confronted with them. This is why Mesa needs a new Senator. I pray to God Jerry Lewis runs, because we need to start bringing intelligence and honesty back to the state legislature.
CooperG posted at 3:05 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
To suggest the election is "against the republican (sic) party" presumes that the entire Republican party supports Pearce, but that isn't true. The PCs in his own precinct didn't elect him to the party committee, so what does that tell you about his total support. Obviously it wasn't enough to get him elected.
Then there's the fact that only six (count 'em six) LD18 residents donated money to Pearce in the last election. If he's got such great support, then why does he need the Governor to shill for him? Why does he rely on OUTSIDERS for his campaign support?
Pearce doesn't have the support of his district and HE KNOWS IT, because if they did, they'd have given him money before. I guess this just shows they know him too well.
AmericanPatriot posted at 3:15 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
No Cooper, it's you and this recall that are the one trick ponies because everything you can state as to why Pearce should be removed is just a smokescreen for the real reason you people hate Pearce. Brewer talks about immigration and border security because THAT IS THE ONLY REASON THIS RECALL IS ABOUT. Everyone knows this is about SB1070. Trying to blow smoke up our collective hind end isn't going to cut the mustard Copper. When voters vote for Pearce they will know who he is and what they are voting for. That would be control over illegal immigration and border security. Ya, lets bring intelligence and honesty to the state legislature by reelecting Senator Pearce for a third time.
AmericanPatriot posted at 3:24 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
The fact is that this entire election will be as it should be about illegal immigration and SB1070. You people simply do not have the numbers on your side. The vast majority of Mesa residents are for SB1070 and against illegal immigration. Everything else is a smokescreen covering what you really hate Pearce for.
AmericanPatriot posted at 3:29 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
Oh I forgot. There are the wife beating, got fired, took fiesta money, did nothing but immigration laws, is fat, a racist. Did I miss any of the BS you people are spouting about? lol you keep trying to spread this BS and you will lose.
dancita posted at 6:02 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
Excuse me American Patriot, but the "vast majority" of people in Mesa are not anti-immigrant. Perhaps that is why the Human Rights Commission made a recommendation to the Mesa City Council that they accept something similar to the Utah compact.
And the recall campaign was NOT about SB1070. It was about Russell Pearce being a bully and an extremist and not supporting education or health care. We are losing jobs in his district and businesses are leaving. Add to that his history of domestic violence and questionable practices regarding the Fiesta Bowl and he doesn't come across as much of an patriot to me. He appears to be self serving. And yes, he is a racist and if I were a Latino in his district I would be offended by the comments he makes.
I have worked on the recall campaign, I was not paid, I did not bring up SB1070, I live in Mesa, I have a business in Pearce's district and am far from an anarchist.
Trans posted at 6:24 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
The governor is once again - no, make that still - lying. As are the other Pearce defenders, such as when they say publicly that people will sign anything if you pay them. I volunteered with the signature gatherers, and I can state absolutely that not one signer or one gatherer was paid a penny. The biggest problem was trying to keep people from out of the district from signing.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 8:38 pm on Mon, Jul 18, 2011.
danzita? businesses are leaving? The only businesses that are leaving are those that catered directly to the illegal population that is leaving. In any case the petitions are about to be tossed as they were not properly collected as to article 8 section 2 of the constitution requiring one of the signers of each sheet of such petition, or the person circulating such sheet, must make and subscribe an oath on said sheet, that the signatures thereon are genuine. They didn't collect them properly and that's all folks.