Russell Pearce
Russell Pearce (b. June 23, 1947) is a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate, serving from 2008 to 2011, when he was recalled from office.
Pearce was previously a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, serving from 2001 to 2008.
Biography
Pearce earned his B.S. in Management at the University of Phoenix in 1981 and earned four certificates from the following institutions: Arizona State University (Advanced Executive Development), the University of Colorado, Boudler (Motor Vehicle Legal and Law College), Arizona Judicial College (Court Rules & Procedures for New Judges) and Harvard University (Government).
Pearce's professional experience includes working as a Chief Deputy/Under Sheriff at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, judge on the North Mesa Justice Court for one year, director for the Governor's Office of Highway safety in 1994 and director for the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division. He served in the United States Army National Guard.
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:
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 Republican primary on August 28, 2012. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[2][3]
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.[4]
| 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.[5] 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."[6]
In order to initiate the recall, organizers needed to submit 7,756 valid signatures on recall petitions by May 31, 2011.[7] This is 25% of the 31,091 votes cast for his seat in the November 2, 2010 Arizona State Senate District 18 section.[8] 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.[9]
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.[10][11]
| 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.[12]
| 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
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 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.[13] 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 finance summary
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Noteworthy events
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.[14]
Post-legislative career
 |
in the United States, see this article. |
|---|
After losing the recall election in 2012, Pearce remained an influential voice in Arizona politics on the subject of immigration. National Journal interviewed him in 2014, asking about the effects of his immigration laws on the future of Arizona. Pearce said, "I’m worried about the future of America. This is an American crisis, not just an Arizona crisis."[15]
In 2012, Pearce became a radio talk show host based in Phoenix. At the same time, he was elected the first vice chair of the Republican Party of Arizona. The two roles proved incompatible in September 2014. On his radio show, Pearce commented on Arizona's public assistance programs, saying, "You put me in charge of Medicaid, the first thing I’d do is get Norplant, birth-control implants, or tubal ligations…Then we’ll test recipients for drugs and alcohol, and if you want to [reproduce] or use drugs or alcohol, then get a job."[16] Pearce resigned from the party on September 14, 2014, saying,
| “ | As an unapologetic conservative, I’ve stood up for the rule of law and our constitutional freedoms. I love this great Republic, and have loved serving Arizona and my service with the Republican party. Recently on my radio show there was a discussion about the abuses to our welfare system. I shared comments written by someone else and failed to attribute them to the author. This was a mistake. This mistake has been taken by the media and the left and used to hurt our Republican candidates.[17][18] | ” |
Pearce also worked for the Maricopa County Treasurer's office as the technical services division manager.[19] He was responsible for the Elderly Assistance Fund. In this role, Pearce was tasked with getting low-income seniors to apply for and participate in a state program to reduce their property taxes. According to the Phoenix New Times, Pearce started the job in July 2014.[20] Pearce had previously worked for the county in the 1990s with the sheriff's department, where he claimed to have begun the policy of "housing jail inmates in tents."[21]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Russell Pearce was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. Pearce and his wife LuAnne have five children. He follows the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
See also
- Arizona State Legislature
- Arizona State Senate
- Arizona Senate Committees
- Arizona state legislative districts
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
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddeclared - ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2012 Primary candidate list," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ 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 (dead link)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "General election results," accessed December 13, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Azcentral.com, "Fiesta Bowl fiasco a bipartisan affair," July 1, 2011
- ↑ National Journal, "Russell Pearce’s Immigration Law Led to Boycotts of Arizona and Ended His Career. He’s Not Sorry.," December 17, 2014
- ↑ MSNBC, "Top Arizona GOPer Russell Pearce resigns after sterilization comments," September 15, 2014
- ↑ Republican Party of Arizona, "AZGOP’s 1st Vice Chairman Resigns," September 14, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ KPHO, "Recalled senator offered job at Maricopa County Treasurer's Office," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Phoenix New Times, "Russell Pearce Disses Government Programs for the Poor on His Radio Show, While Helping to Run One," September 10, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Arizona's relentless conservative voice," January 17, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Arizona State Senate District 18 2009–November 8, 2011 |
Succeeded by Jerry Lewis |
