Thread: Architect of Arizona's Anti-Immigration Law May Lose His Sea

Architect of Arizona's Anti-Immigration Law May Lose His Seat







—By Adam Serwer

| Mon Nov. 7, 2011 11:32 AM PST

Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce (R). Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Republican Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce, the architect of the state's draconian anti-immigrantion law, may lose his seat in tomorrow's recall election. According to a poll by a local ABC affiliate, Pearce is running neck-and-neck with his Republican challenger Jerry Lewis:


Lewis holds a 46-43 percent lead over Pearce in the historic recall contest, but the edge is within the poll’s margin of error.

"Statistically here, what we’ve got is a dead heat," said Jeremy Moreland, a Valley pollster who conducted the survey. "Both Lewis and Pearce are within the margin of error of one another."

Pearce has a considerable financial advantage. According to the ABC affiliate, Pearce "raised an eye-popping $230,000—including donations from more than 40 states—compared to Lewis’ $69,000." Yet despite that advantage, and the fact that his campaign managed to get a sham candidate, Olivia Cortes, on the ballot, Pearce may still lose.

Pearce's opponents challenged Cortes' candidacy in court and Maricopa County Judge Edward Burke wrote in his ruling that that Cortes was recruited by Pearce allies "to siphon Hispanic votes from Lewis to advance Pearce's recall-election bid." Nevertheless, Burke ruled that Cortes could stay on the ballot, because "he could find no wrongdoing by Cortes herself." According to the ABC-15 poll, Cortes is still polling at about 2.5 percent, which in an election this close could mean the difference between Pearce keeping or losing his seat. In one last desperate attempt to swing the election in Pearce's favor, his allies are behind a misleading robocall in an effort to manipulate voters into casting a ballot for Cortes.

Pearce, who drafted the 2010 law after meeting with officials from the American Legislative Exchange Council and Corrections Corporation of America, the private prison company, became state Senate president following Republican gains in the 2010 elections. But despite his rise in political stature, his anti-immigrant agenda met with more resistance than expected, and he was recently implicated by an investigation that showed him and other Arizona lawmakers illegally accepting Fiesta Bowl tickets.

While Pearce's odd ability to "accidentally" associate with white supremacists didn't stop him from rising to state senate president in Arizona, his Republican opponent has taken a moderate stance on immigration, saying during their debate a few weeks ago that "we need to make sure we address this issue in a humane way." So it's not just that Pearce might lose. It's that the state's most anti-immigrant politician might be defeated by the kind of Republican moderate on immigration that, back in 2010, seemed almost extinct.

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/11/sb- ... e-his-seat



The Senator's Stance

Illegal Immigration

We are a nation of laws. We must have the courage – the fortitude – to enforce, with compassion but without apology, those laws that protect the integrity of our borders and the rights of our lawful citizens from those who break our laws. The federal government has refused to fully secure our border and enforce our immigration laws. Arizona’s crisis is particularly galling because it was caused by the federal government funneling illegal aliens and drug trafficking through Arizona when it fenced off the El Paso and San Diego Sectors. Arizona cannot continue to bear this burden. For example, roughly 15% of our state prison population is made up of criminal aliens and the federal government refuses to reimburse the state.

I have proudly led Arizona’s efforts to deter and decrease illegal immigration by, among other things: (1) Deterring employers from knowingly hiring lower-paid illegal aliens instead of Americans by imposing sanctions and requiring the use of E-Verify; (2) Stopping illegal aliens and their families from obtaining the in-state university tuition subsidy and welfare benefits (passed by the voters); (3) Protecting public safety by denying bail to criminal aliens (passed by the voters); (4) Requiring persons to show identification when registering to vote and voting (passed by the voters); (5) Prohibiting illegal “sanctuaryâ€

With all of the illegal voters in AZ, the margins don't exist. JMO

Anti-"immigration" law? What BS and lies!

Related Threads
Immigration a focus of Arizona recall election
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-254618-sen ... rce+recall
Stand with Senator Pearce
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-254503.html


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