Home > Capitol Insiders > Pearce TV ad touts budget accomplishments; no mention of immigration

Pearce TV ad touts budget accomplishments; no mention of immigration

By Luige del Puerto

Published: October 10, 2011 at 5:34 pm

Senate President Russell Pearce’s campaign will begin airing TV ads in his fight to keep his legislative seat.

The ad, which is also on YouTube, touts Pearce’s accomplishments in balancing the budget and helping to pass a “jobs” bill in the last session.

The 32-second ad, set to air Tuesday on various TV stations in Pearce’s west Mesa district, says an “outside group opposed to Arizona’s tough immigration laws” is distorting his record.

“Say ‘no’ to their deception,” the ad says.

Watch the ad:

Pearce, who is the first sitting legislator to face a recall in Arizona’s history, is being challenged by fellow Republican Jerry Lewis, a charter school executive, in the Nov. 8 special election.

A third candidate, Olivia Cortes, voluntarily dropped out of the race last week after facing scrutiny over allegations that she’s a sham candidate who was aiming to pull votes from Lewis, thereby helping Pearce keep his seat.

Depending on their frequency and time, TV ads can be expensive, which is why they are not frequently used in legislative races.

But Ed Phillips, a spokesman for the Pearce campaign, said the campaign plans to buy in the west Mesa zone, not the entire Valley.

“Does it take money? The answer is, ‘yes.’ Does it take huge sums of money? It’s not horrifically expensive,” Phillips said.

The cost of producing a TV ad – meaning, shooting the video and editing it – has also become cheaper with technology, and that’s helping to make TV ads more accessible to legislative campaigns.

Interestingly, Phillips, a former legislator, isn’t a stranger to employing TV ads in a campaign.

He used a TV ad during a difficult primary fight in the 1990, when he was running for the Senate.

“It was pretty revolutionary at the time. That was 21 years ago,” he said.

Phillips served in the Senate from 1991 to 1994.

BillRichardsonMesa Says:
October 10th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Not surprising that Mr. Pearce has elected to forego mention of his infamous intolerance of immigrants. He’s got the Tea Party wrapped up. The pretty paper still won’t sufficiently mask the stink.
Tyler Montague Says:
October 11th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Russell Pearce is a good man, unfairly vilified by the media and his critics. That’s often true.

But the campaign for Jerry Lewis is not run by “outside groups.” In fact, as of last week, over 75% of Lewis’s funding had come from withing Mesa. Not lobbyists. Not outside groups. Mesans. Pearce can’t say the same. The heart of the support for Lewis comes from people who want a change in the tone of our politics, who want priority placed on education and economic growth & jobs.

While Pearce probably cares about these things, they haven’t been a priority for him. Getting rid of Mexicans has been his signature issue, with illegal immigration being sold by Pearce as the cause of all our problems, and their expulsion being the cure. In his single-minded fixation, he has ignored the business and faith communities in crafting his legislation, and now they are supporting Lewis, a businessman and religious leader. He has never once reached out to the superintendent of the largest school district in the state–the one in Pearce’s district, Mesa Public Schools. Just because his advisors tell Pearce that polls are showing education to be an important issue, doesn’t mean that he can start talking about education now and expect everyone to believe it is a priority for Pearce. That is why people are supporting Lewis, an educator with a proven track record.

And Pearce’s behavior in the race has been Exhibit A on why we need a new tone in our politics: a fake candidate scandal linked to his inner circle, and now he and his people are fabricating a scandal to try and pin on Lewis. People will be turned off.
WeThePeople2012 Says:
October 11th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Real Facts about Senator President Pearce’s Accomplishments-not a “Pitch” by the Media for Sham Candidate Lewis

Pearce’s Public Service:

• Sheriff’s Office-policeman from 1970 to 1991
• Often Deputy of the Year even while attending college
• Names University of Phoenix named Pearce “Alumni of the Year”
• Pearce & son received Medal of Valor, highest award given in law enforcement for bravery in action & for life-threatening injuries
• Justice of the Peace 1991/2 (rated one most efficient courts MC)
• Chief Deputy to Sheriff Arpaio 1993 on
• Famous for AFIS image processing system in AZ-one of the best and most innovative law enforcement tools against criminals
• Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety-National award for an Hispanic outreach program
• Director of Dept of Motor Vehicles-reduced wait times from 2 hours to 20 minutes and saved AZ $10 million annually in administrative costs
• “E-Business Award” from IBM to Pearce –First and only presented to a government agency (Pearce’s AZ DMV) in the world.
• Pro-Tem Judge for MC Justice Courts
• Arizona Legislature from 2000 on : currently President of the Senate.

Pearce:Budget and Taxes

• Balanced the state’s budget in 2011 after Napolitano left Arizona one of the worst financial condition (debt per citizen) in the USA-$1.2 Billion Deficit
• Americans for Prosperity-#1 and “Hero of the Taxpayer”
• Am Tax Reform-“Hero of the Taxpayer” (1 of only 7 nationally)
• Am Tax Payers Assoc-#1 Friend of the Tax Payer
• Sponsored the largest tax relief package in state history
• Goldwater Institute- #1 Legislator: strongest ally against government encroachment on Liberty
• Pachyderm Coalition: #1 Legislator

Pearce: Education:

• ASU awarded Pearce “Outstanding Contributions Public Educ”
• ASU named Pearce “Champion for ASU” for his support of students
• Az Technology Council as “Top Tier” several years in a row
• Parents for Education “Apple Award” for high results in education
• Recognized – SW Autism for his funding for children with autism
• Co-Founder, Youth Assistance Found., raising half million dollars

Pearce :Illegal Immigration:

• Author 0f 1070: 70% of AZ voters support; Nationally 60%.More than 30 states have written/ writing legislation modeled after SB1070.
• Author of Prop200:Proof of citizenship to register to vote passed overwhelmingly
• Author of Prop 100: Illegals who commit serious crimes cannot be released on bond passed by 78% of AZ voters
• Author of Prop 102: Prevents same (#100) from receiving punitive damages-passed by 75% of voters
• Author of Prop 103:English official language passed by 72% of AZ voters
• US Supreme Court in 2011 ruled in AZ’s behalf 5-3 to affirm Pearce’s historic Employer Sanctions legislation-huge state’s rights victory.
WeThePeople2012 Says:
October 11th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Tyler: Over 95% of the signatures on Lewis’ petitions were MoveOn org people or progressive democratics. And Lewis claims to be a Republican! Lewis is the “fake ” candidate! Not one prominent Republican is endorsing Lewis.

Further, why does Lewis hide? Why does Lewis not denounce and tell the progressive democrats to leave him alone? Who obtained Lewis signatures and paid for his signs!

Tyler: You need to read above all the awards that Pearce has gotten in Education. #1 to Public Education from ASU (several Years), AZ Tech, and Parents for Education. Lewis has zero awards even though he manages a charter school. Go School Choice! ( I am on Lewis’ side with choice).

Tyler: The fake scandal??? Just happens to be a lawsuit by Lewis’ assistant principal before the signatures were obtained. You can go to Sonoran Alliance and click on the link to see the legal documents of Lewis’ theft(s). Teacher(s) in Lewis school for disadavantaged children stated in the lawsuit that Lewis stole from the Homeless Donations several times. It’s a documented so it is a scandal. The courts will determine the outcome.

The difference between Conservatives is that we state facts. Progressives (Lewis or at least sold out to) only through out insults. Facts, please.
O. Aros Says:
October 12th, 2011 at 6:44 am
I see the list of accomplishments….all done while funded by taxpayer dollars. He has been supported by tax dollars for too long. His history with the rule of law applies to him too! This time immigration issues are not enough. We want a balanced representative that represents all issues. What is missing about this resume, is the Fiesta Bowl scandal, MVD demotion/termination for possibily not following MVD rules, use of divisive tactics to gain political advantage, vindictive political games, the negative image of our state, the negative vitriol politics, labeling and namecalling of voters in his district, sterotyping Hispanic students, a lack of transparency and potentially being involved in the Cortes conspiracy to deceive voters. If we add on, his lack of respect for the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and attempting to trample on the rights of children born on American soil, coupled with his lack of support for the education of our children….then you might have a complete resume.
Pearce to star in big rally tonight at Hohokam Stadium – Arizona Republic | Local Voter News Says:
October 14th, 2011 at 5:53 am
[...] Arizona Capitol Times [...]