Pearce and the people vs. a corporate sock puppet
By Linda Bentley | August 6, 2008
Last ditch effort to undermine the will of the people
MESA – Four-term state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Dist. 18, is running for District 18’s senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Karen Johnson.
Prior to making the decision to run for the Senate, Pearce explored the possibility of running for Congress against Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
Apparently that didn’t sit too well with Flake and now Flake’s brother-in-law, Kevin Gibbons, an immigration attorney, whose $63,630 war chest is made up of contributions primarily from business owners from outside of his West Mesa district, is running against Pearce in the primary.
The majority of Gibbons’ contributors are business owners who were perfectly happy hiring unauthorized workers, are unhappy with Pearce’s employer sanctions law and have contributed to court battles to try to halt the law as well as to the Stop Illegal Hiring initiative, which seeks, through its misleading title, to completely undermine the law.
Gibbons’ interest in Mesa’s affairs appears lacking. A blog site (www.therealkevingibbons. com) reveals he didn’t even bother to vote at all in three critical Mesa elections in May 2005, May 2006 and November 2007, elections that had some of the highest voter participation in Mesa history.
While on his website Gibbons claims to have always had an interest in politics and pledges to work with the city, stating, “So much more can be accomplished by working together with the city to improve services and capitalize on the opportunities for economic growth and build a better Mesa,” District 18 Republican Chairman Matt Tolman wondered, “How can we count on Kevin to capitalize on opportunities when he has failed to take advantage of the ones that have already come before us?”
Gibbons didn’t feel it was necessary to show up for the District 18 debate.
He also received over $1,500 in campaign contributions from millionaire developer and former Democratic Party Chairman Jim Pederson and his family.
Gibbons believes immigration is “a multifaceted and complicated issue” and says the matter has been made worse by elected officials politicizing the issue rather than trying to find a realistic and rational solution.”
While his website states, “Gibbons will never support amnesty,” it then goes on to say, “Gibbons supports penalties for those who are currently here and a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants already living in the U.S. who are committed to assimilation into American culture.”
In other words, Gibbons supports amnesty, as he blurs the line between immigrants and illegal migrants.
The Maricopa County Republican Committee endorsed Pearce for the primary contest and, according to MCRC Chairman Tom Husband, the decision was not the result of one thing, but an accumulation of many things.
During MCRC’s discussion of the endorsement one of the “Yes” votes observed, “The Democrats already have one candidate in the general election. They don’t deserve to have two shots at the seat.”
Pearce has not only represented the interests of his District 18 constituents, he has boldly and consistently represented the people of Arizona in his efforts to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. He authored Proposition 200 to prevent voter and welfare fraud and the, now nationally recognized, Arizona Legal Workers Act, requiring use of the federal E-Verify program to prevent employers from “knowingly” hiring illegal aliens.
Pearce is fiscally conservative, fights to protect taxpayers, believes in the Constitution and has received an A+ rating by the NRA.
Top photo: Russell Pearce
Photo by Linda Bentley
Lower photo: Kevin Gibbons
Courtesy photo