Pierce elected as permanent whip

A freshman lawmaker from Prescott has been elected as permanent majority whip in the Senate.

“It’s an honor to be able to able to help,” said Sen. Steve Pierce.

Pierce’s election to the post did not come as a surprise.

In a way, he already had one foot in after his colleagues chose him as acting majority whip early this month.

Pierce replaced Sen. Pamela Gorman, who resigned her position Aug. 4 because of an ideological clash with fellow Republicans over the proposal for a sales tax hike.