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Russell Pearce, the Republican Arizona state senate president whose SB 1070 anti-illegal immigration law continues to inspire similarly strict immigration laws in other states, could lose his seat to a recall Tuesday. He’ll be running against a challenger, fellow Republican Jerry Lewis, in the state’s first-ever recall election involving a state lawmaker.
And while Pearce’s hardline stance on immigration isn’t the sole basis of the effort to oust him, the outcome of tomorrow’s election is being regarded by many as a popular vote on his controversial immigration politics – and on the public image of Arizona that SB 1070 and other proposed immigration crackdowns there since have helped create.
As the polls prepare to open, several news analyses have examined what the recall vote means in terms of Pearce’s and Arizona’s immigration policies and politics:
- An Associated Press story today referred to the recall election as something “likely to be viewed as a referendum on the state’s hardline immigration policies:”
People on both sides of the debate believe that removing Pearce would send a powerful message to the Legislature that uncompromising stands on immigration and other issues will not be tolerated by voters. On the flip side, a Pearce victory will say a tough stance on illegal immigration is just what voters demand.
“The folks running the recall are trying to send a message to the rest of the Legislature that if they can take out Russell Pearce, then they can take out any one of us, and to get us to stop running bills against illegal immigration,” said Republican Sen. Ron Gould.
Pearce is facing fellow Republican Jerry Lewis, a charter school executive and former accountant who hopes his candidacy will help the district and Arizona shed false images as being home to intolerance.
- For a story Sunday, the East Valley Tribune in Tempe, Ariz. interviewed Arizona pollster Margaret Kenski, who with others pointed not only to the immigration component, but to dissatisfaction over the perception that Pearce has preferred to advance his own pet issues over those important to voters:
Pearce has made the recall about his signature issue of illegal immigration. But Kenski said the election is about different things to different people.
Her recent polls have found that voters are more concerned about the economy, jobs and education. Those issues have edged out illegal immigration as the former top issue, Kenski said.
Even when looking at illegal immigration, polls have found voters aren’t as strident as Pearce, she said. They almost all want a secure border but there’s more acceptance for guest workers, the notion that Americans won’t do some jobs and some version of the Dream Act.
