Former Senate President Russell Pearce says he would consider accepting a $260,000 reimbursement from the state for the expenses of his recall election if his allies in the Legislature are successful in securing the money for him.

The investigation into the Olivia Cortes candidacy quietly evaporated last week when Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores informed Bennett that she was unable to determine who pulled the strings to collect Cortes’ nominating petition signatures so she could qualify for the recall ballot.

Still shaken from the successful recall of Senate President Russell Pearce, some lawmakers are seeking to make it more difficult for voters to oust politicians from office.

One Pearce ally plans to sponsor legislation that would require recall organizers to obtain signatures from a majority of registered voters in a district — an unprecedented proposal that would far exceed signature requirements in all other states that allow recalls.

Sen. Jerry Lewis raised almost $85,000 in his successful campaign to defeat former Senate President Russell Pearce earlier this month. Lewis spent all of it, based on his latest campaign report to the Arizona Secretary of State.

Exactly two weeks after unseating Russell Pearce in a recall election, Republican Jerry Lewis took his oath as the Senate’s newest member and promised to focus on getting the economy back on track.

The Arizona Supreme Court today said recall laws should be construed “liberally” because they’re written to protect the public’s right to remove an official — not for a politician’s benefit.

Last week's recall election defeat of the Republican legislator who wrote Arizona's tough anti-immigration law and the seating of Democratic mayors in Phoenix and Tucson have given Democrats renewed hope for picking up the state in next year's Senate and presidential elections.

Senate President Russell Pearce’s defeat on Nov. 8 was a colossal political victory for critics of his strict-enforcement approach to confronting illegal immigration.

And many immediately saw it as a cautionary tale for politicians here and elsewhere who share his views.

With a Lewis victory assured, all eyes are now on the race to replace Pearce as president. Senate Republicans will meet in closed caucus tomorrow at 10 a.m. to vote on a new leader – but that’s about all that there’s consensus on.

If Senate President Russell Pearce loses his race tomorrow, it will trigger a shakeup in Senate leadership that will see Republicans choosing a new president.

By all accounts, three senators are interested in the position — Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs, Senate Majority Whip Steve Pierce, and Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler.