Russell Pearce / Gage Skidmore
This November, Russell Pearce, President of the Arizona state Senate and lead sponsor of the viciously anti-immigrant SB 1070, will be the
first Arizona state legislator to face a recall election:
Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, one of the state's most powerful and controversial politicians, appears certain to face what is believed to be the first recall election of a state legislator in Arizona history this November.
Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne submitted a 1,200-page certification package to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Friday morning determining that the recall effort has enough valid signatures from registered voters in Mesa's District 18 to force a special election.
On Friday afternoon, the Secretary of State's Office officially put the recall on the November ballot. Pearce, whose opponents decry him as an extremist with a radical agenda, has five days to either resign or face a recall election, which would pit him against other candidates for his seat.
Pearce has said that he won't resign and that he won't challenge the signatures in court. So, get ready for a recall election.
Before you get too excited, however, you should know that this effort has been spearheaded by organizers who intend to support a moderate Republican against Pearce in the recall election. This quote from the article linked above by one of the organizers of the recall effort, Randy Parraz, matches up exactly with what he said to me when I had a chance to speak with him back in May:
Parraz said a successful candidate would likely be Mormon and Republican, as Pearce is, but would be more moderate and value education and health care.
"Someone who is actually interested in bringing jobs to Mesa," Parraz said.
The other organizer of the recall effort is Chad Snow, a moderate Republican lawyer. Back in May they expressed their belief that while it may be possible for a Democrat to sneak in a short-term victory against Pearce, the only way to keep him out office in the district over the long-term is through a moderate Republican.
As such, while most of the signatures and volunteer energy behind the recall effort came from Democrats and Independents, when it comes to the actual election the recall effort against Pearce is seeking to align itself with the moderate wing of the state Republican Party. The Arizona GOP is engaged in a fierce intra-party battle with the so-called "archconservatives," who are led by Pearce.
Don't expect much, if any, of an effort behind a Democratic candidate in this election. Still, it is notable that moderate Republicans are now participating the recall movement that is slowly spreading across the country against conservative Republicans.
For more discussion on the recall against Russell Pearce, check out Mother Mags' diary from yesterday.
