PEARCE OPPONENTS EMERGE

posted by Andrea Kelly

Two Mesa-area Republicans stepped up this week to run against Republican Russell Pearce in his recall election.

Olivia Cortes and Jerry Lewis have filed paperwork with the state to launch their campaigns. They join independent candidate Tommy Cattey, who is also hoping to be on the recall ballot. They’ll each need to turn in signatures from voters in the Mesa legislative district before they qualify for the ballot. Pearce doesn’t need to do that, the recall process means he’s already on the ballot.

Any number of candidates can run in this recall election. Whoever earns the most votes in the election will be the next Senator in legislative district 18. The term expires next year, so the winner would serve just one year, and could run for reelection in 2012.

One other candidate filed to run for the seat, but it's unclear at this point whether Democrat Robert McDonald is entering the recall race, or readying for a 2012 campaign.