Arizona Senate President Andy Biggs said Tuesday night he found the recall of colleague Russell Pearce "deeply disturbing."
Fellow Republican and state Rep. Eddie Farnsworth said that in ousting Pearce in Tuesday's recall election, the voters had "traded the most successful legislator in the country for somebody who will be very unsuccessful.”
Both made the comments in interview with the [Arizona Capitol Times]'(http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/11/08/lewis-winning-early-votes-in-pearce-recall/) Luige del Puerto, the state Senate reporter who will appear on Arizona Week Friday to discuss the story.
Pearce, the state Senate president and widely regarded as one of the two most powerful elected state officials, was defeated by fellow Republican Jerry Lewis, 53 percent to 45 percent.
Pearce's loss makes him the first politician in Arizona's 100-year history as a state to be removed from office by recall.
Pearce is known nationally for his authorship of one of the country's strictest anti-immigration laws, SB1070, major parts of which are on hold while appeals over them work their ways through the courts.
His defeat likely won't change the conservative nature of legislative leadership, but it might take the edge off some of the rhetoric on both sides of the immigration debate.
The federal PAC formed by Brewer is a way for the governor to fund federal candidates who she supports. According to the committee's website the purpose is to back candidates who agree with Governor Brewer's ideas when it comes to securing the border and opposing the federal health care law.
The PAC is new so right now it has filed no monetary reports with the Federal Elections Commission. The first financial data for Jan PAC will be released in January.
"Bully meets Nice Guy" is the headline on a full-page story in the current issue of The Economist magazine, portraying the recall election race between Russell Pearce and Jerry Lewis in Mesa.
The story calls state Senate President Pearce "a tough-talking Mormon Republican from Mesa" who manifests a "gun-loving and government-hating conservatism."
It describes the matchup between Pearce and Lewis this way: "Next to Mr. Pearce's aggression, Mr. Lewis embodies niceness and politeness."
The story says that in Tuesday's recall election, the choice is one of tone and style rather than substance, although it allows that the tone and style have become substance.
A poll last week from the Arizona Capitol Times shows the race a virtual dead heat, giving Lewis a slight lead that is within the poll's margin of error.
The outcome, as The Economist suggests, may change who serves in the Senate and the manner in which he serves, but it won't change the conservative bent of the Republican majority.
A poll conducted by the Capitol Times shows a statistical dead heat between Jerry Lewis and Russell Pearce. According to the poll, which was released just days before voters cast their ballots, Lewis is picking up 46% of the voters to Pearce’s 43%. That is within the margin of error so the race is a dead heat.
If Pearce loses the election on Tuesday, he will be the first sitting member of the Arizona Legislature to be recalled.
The non-profit news organization ProPublica made a music video to explain redistricting. It includes a basic explanation at the beginning of why we draw new congressional and legislative district lines every ten years.
Arizona's Republican presidential primary debate will be Nov. 30 at the Mesa Arts Center. That's a day earlier than the state Republican party initially announced, but now it's firm.
The event is scheduled to be broadcast on CNN at 6 p.m. local time.
Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement Arizona will play a key role in the race to select the GOP's nominee next year.
The national Republican Party granted Arizona the opportunity to host a debate in exchange for Brewer keeping the presidential preference election on Feb. 27. Brewer was at one time considering moving that date earlier in the year. Such a decision could have cost Arizona delegates at the party's national convention next year.
All that's left to find out is how many Republican candidates will be in Mesa Nov. 30. Some debates earlier this year featured as many as nine candidates on the stage.
