KNAU and Arizona News
(2011-11-09)
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PHOENIX, AZ
(Capitol Media Services) -
The architect of some of the toughest laws in the nation aimed at illegal immigrants was ousted from office Tuesday by voters in his Mesa district. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.
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Organizers of the recall of Russell Pearce said there were plenty of reasons to target the Senate president, like the budget he helped craft that cut funding for education and social programs. But even challenger Jerry Lewis acknowledged that many who went to the polls may have been thinking more about immigration.
(Obviously, it was a huge part of the recall, apparently. And, for me, I want to bring a civil dialog and discussion to the immigration issue so that we can resolve it once and for all in a way that we can all be proud of and really work and not be debated and discoursed for the next five or 10 years.)
Pearce is known nationally for his measures, starting with the successful 2004 initiative to deny public benefits to illegal immigrants and running right through last year's SB 1070 designed to give police more power to detain and arrest those not in the country legally. He made no apologies for the bills -- or even his style which some have described as confrontational.
(Am I vigilant, yeah, Howie, because I believe in something. You know when you take tough positions people get upset. Because that's because you have to be a leader. Somebody has to be a leader. And we wouldn't have accomplished what we've accomplished without leadership.)
Pearce ticked off a litany of issues he has played a role in approving, issues he said reflect the views of most Arizonans.
(We're No. 1 in the nation in Second Amendment liberties. We run in the top of the nation in laws that protect the unborn. We run in the top of the nation in school choice. We constitutionally balanced the budget the first time in years, no bonding, no borrowing, no gimmicks.)
Pearce also said polls show most Arizonans support SB 1070. But that leaves the question of how Pearce, elected from the district since 2000, could be turned out of office. Pearce blames the unusual nature of a recall, where despite the fact that both he and Lewis are registered Republicans, everyone got to choose between them.
(Jerry Lewis could not win in a primary. He knows that. Now, hang on. Because he is the Democrat choice. He is endorsed by the Democrats. So it doesn't take but 10 to 15 percent of the Republicans to vote for Jerry Lewis and make a difference.)
Pearce also said that Lewis benefitted from the financial support of outside liberal groups and labor unions, though he boasted of getting contributions for his own campaign from donors in more than 40 states. And he said that Lewis attempted to use religion, claiming that his position on immigration was closer to that of the Church of Latter-Day Saints than that of Pearce, who also is a Mormon. Lewis, basking in victory, had kinder words to say about his foe.
(I still love him. He's my brother. And, you know, I still consider him a friend. And I hope that we can work together in bringing about a fresh voice for Mesa.)
Tuesday's election has statewide implications. With Pearce out, that will result in jockeying among Senate Republicans to replace him as president. And contenders may try to line up votes among the 21 Republicans -- now including Lewis -- with promises of plum committee assignments. In Mesa, for Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.
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