Russell Pearce
| Russell Pearce | ||
 | ||
| Candidate for | ||
| Arizona State Senate District 25 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Leadership | ||
| President, Arizona State Senate | ||
| 2011 | ||
| Prior offices | ||
| Arizona State Senate District 18 | ||
| 2009 - November 21, 2011 | ||
| Arizona House of Representatives | ||
| 2001-2009 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Phoenix (1980) | |
| Other | Four certificates | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | June 23, 1947 | |
| Place of birth | Mesa, AZ | |
| Religion | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | |
| Websites | ||
| Personal website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Pearce previously served as President of the Senate in 2011, representing the 18th district from 2009 until he was recalled by voters on November 8, 2011.
After acquiring his Bachelor's Degree in Management at the University of Phoenix in 1981, Pearce earned four certificates from the following institutions: Arizona State University (Advanced Executive Development); the University of Colorado, Boudler (Motor Vehicle Legal and Law College); and Arizona Judicial College (Court Rules & Procedures for New Judges); and Harvard University (Government).
In 1965, Pearce joined the United States Army National Guard and served there until 1972. In 1970, Pearce began working as a Chief Deputy/Under Sheriff at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office until 1993. In 1991, Pearce served as a judge on the North Mesa Justice Court for one year. He later worked as a director for the Governor's Office of Highway safety in 1994 and in 1995 worked as a director for the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.
Pearce began his political experience by serving on the Board of Supervisors in Maricopa County and serving as a Precinct Committee-person on the State Executive Committee of the Republican Party. In the 1980's Pearce served as a convention delegate to the Republican Party and serve as a State Delegate in the 1990's. In 2001, Pearce began work as a representative to the Arizona State House of Representatives and in 2008 was elected to the Arizona State Senate.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Pearce served on these committees:
- Rules Committee, Arizona Senate, Chair
- Audit Committee, Arizona State Legislature
- Federal Mandates Committee, Arizona State Legislature
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Pearce served on these committees:
Issues
Policy positions
Pearce co-sponsored the Civil Rights Amendment for the November 2010 ballot. It prohibits affirmative action by government entities in Arizona.[2]
Sponsored Legislation
See Russell Pearce's official website for a list of sponsored legislation.
Elections
2012
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2012
Pearce ran in the 2012 election for Arizona Senate District 25.[1] He was defeated by Bob Worsley in the August 28, 2012, Republican primary. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4]
Thanks to redistricting, Senator Jerry Lewis, Arizona, the man who defeated Pearce in the 2011 recall election, is running for re-election in another district. As a result, Pearce ran in an open district.[5]
| Arizona State Senate, District 25 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Bob Worsley |
56% | 17,200 |
| Russell Pearce | 44% | 13,534 |
| Total Votes | 30,734 | |
2011 recall
An effort to recall Pearce was launched in January 2011.[6] The recall group's official recall statement says, "We find Russell Pearce's overt disdain for the United State's Constitution to be indicative of his inability to govern as prescribed by his job description and the oath he took to regain his seat in the state Senate."[7]
In order to initiate the recall, organizers needed to submit 7,756 valid signatures on recall petitions by May 31, 2011.[8] This is 25% of the 31,091 votes cast for his seat in the November 2, 2010 Arizona State Senate District 18 section.[9] Recall supporters well exceeded this requirement, filed 18,315 signatures, over 10,000 of which were validated. On July 8, the recall was officially scheduled for November 8.[10]
Certified election results show Pearce lost to Republican challenger Jerry Lewis. The county had to verify the results, then they had to be certified by the Secretary of State's office along with the Governor and Attorney General, which took take place November 21.[11][12]
| Recall of Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Russell Pearce Incumbent | 43.5% | 10,121 |
| Jerry Lewis |
55.1% | 12,812 |
| Olivia Cortes (withdrawn) | 1.2% | 277 |
| Write-In Candidate | 0.2% | 57 |
| Total Votes | 23,267 | |
2010
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2010
Pearce won re-election to the 18th District seat in 2010. He had no primary opposition. He defeated Andrew Sherwood and Andrea Garcia in the November 2 general election.[13]
| Arizona State Senate, District 18 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Russell Pearce (R)
|
17,552 | |||
| Andrew Sherwood (D) | 10,663 | |||
| Andrea Garcia (L) | 2,808 | |||
2008
In 2008 Pearce was elected to the Arizona State Senate, District 18. He finished with 24,232 votes while his opponent Judah Nativio finished with 18,889 votes.[14] Pearce raised $117,891 for his campaign fund.
| Arizona State Senate, District 18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Russel Pearce (R)
|
24,232 | |||
| Judah Nativio | 18,889 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
In 2010, Pearce raised $68,014 in contributions. [15]
No contributions to his campaign were over $1,000.
2008
In 2008 Pearce raised $117,891 in campaign donations. Listed below are his top five contributors.[16]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Public Fund | $71,067 |
| Elect Russel Pearce Fund | $23,393 |
| Arizona Association of Realtors | $1,000 |
| Salt River Project | $500 |
| Association Highway Patrolmen of Arizona | $500 |
Controversies
Fiesta Bowl scandal
Pearce is one of 29 Arizona legislators (20 Republicans and 9 Democrats) who accepted illegal gifts from the Fiesta Bowl in the form of all-expense paid trips and free football tickets. He ranked first in the amount received, $38,000 in expenses incurred by him and his family.[17]
Personal
Russell Pearce was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona and is currently married to LuAnne Pearce with five children. Pearce follows the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term "Russell + Pearce + Arizona + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Russell Pearce News Feed
- US Supreme Court Strikes Down Another ALEC Voting Bill - PR Watch
- Russell Pearce Condemns Jan Brewer On Medicaid Expansion - Huffington Post
- Why It's Impossible to Raise a Non-Bigoted Son in Arizona [Opinion - ABC News]
- Billboard denounces Sen. Flake for involvement with immigration bill - KTAR.com
- Worse Week in Washington: Jeff Flake or Trent... - Phoenix New Times (blog)
- Protesters target Senator Flake over Gang of 8 participation - MyFox Phoenix
- Gov. Jan Brewer Growing Socialism in Arizona Now, Just Like Judas Did to Jesus - Wonkette (satire)
- PUBLIC OUTCRY: Should Arizona "Organizers" Receive Over 30% On Your ... - Tucson Citizen
- 1070 turns three while amnesty looms - Sonoran News
- Border Fence: Incomplete, Slightly Effective Patchwork - Modern Times Magazine
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External links
- Campaign website
- Project Vote Smart legislative bio
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Russell Pearce
- Campaign Contribution: 2010, 2008 2006 2004
- YouTube channel
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 East Valley Tribune, "March 19, 2012
- ↑ The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 22, 2009
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State - Primary candidate list
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, Official 2012 Primary Results
- ↑ Mohave Valley Daily News, "Redistricting muddles state legislative primary contests," August 21, 2012
- ↑ KGUN-9, "AZ Senate Pres. also target of recall movement", January 28, 2011
- ↑ Phoenix New Times, "Russell Pearce Recall Paperwork Filed by Anti-Pearce Group", January 27, 2011
- ↑ Phoenix New Times, "Russell Pearce Recall Paperwork Filed by Anti-Pearce Group", January 27, 2011
- ↑ Arizona Republic, "Drive to recall Russell Pearce under way", February 3, 2011
- ↑ Arizona Republic, "Russell Pearce recall: Enough signatures to force election," July 11, 2011
- ↑ The Arizona Republic, "Recall canvass sets stage for Lewis to take oath," November 21, 2011
- ↑ The Arizona Republic, "Russell Pearce on verge of historic loss in recall," November 8, 2011
- ↑ General election results
- ↑ Arizona State Senate official election results
- ↑ 2010 contributions
- ↑ Campaign donations
- ↑ Azcentral.com, "Fiesta Bowl fiasco a bipartisan affair," July 1, 2011.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Arizona State Senate District 18 2009–November 8, 2011 |
Succeeded by Jerry Lewis |
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