State Senate President Russell Pearce has amassed a war chest of $230,000 for his recall battle against Jerry Lewis, more than three times his rival's funding.
Pearce's financial report shows vast differences between the campaigns. The Patriots for Pearce group raised $78,961 from political action committees, while all of Lewis's $67,873 came from individuals.
Pearce also took in large sums of money from outside Mesa and Arizona, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Arizona Secretary of State. Lewis has previously reported 68 percent of his donations were from Mesa.
The filings indicate the candidates and political action committees will spend nearly a half-million dollars as they battle for the Nov. 8 election. Other campaign filings show:
• Citizens for a Better Arizona, which opposes Pearce, raised $92,325.76.
• Citizens who Oppose the Pearce Recall raised $72,610.82.
• Citizens Who Oppose the Recall of Russell Pearce raised $424.
• Former candidate Olivia Cortes collected $882.
Cortes loaned herself the bulk of her funds. She raised $100 in small contributions and listed two donors by name. She spent $181.
Patriots for Pearce has spent more than $159,000 on expenses that include signs, polling and political consulting. Donors include political consultants Chuck Coughlin and Stan Barnes, and attorney Jordan Rose.
Donations from political action committees include the Highway Patrolman of Arizona, Lewis and Roca, Fennemore Craig, the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Deputies Law Enforcement Association.
Other donors are the Arizona Multihousing Association, the Apollo Group, Southwest Gas, Salt River Project, the Arizona Committee of Automotive Retailers and Pinnacle West.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-6548 or ggroff@evtrib.com
BillRichardsonMesa posted at 11:31 am on Fri, Oct 28, 2011.
Let's see who the outsiders are. Mr. Pearce has complained that "outsiders" are behind his opponent, Jerry Lewis. Lewis has already reported that 68% of his donations came from within Mesa. The Pearce Patriots and other PACs come 90% from outside Mesa and of the Mesans who contributed, it appears that a majority come from outside LD18.
So the question remains, who is behind whom? It appears that thus far, LD18 voters are behind Mr. Lewis whereas "outsiders," including four labor unions, are behind Mr. Pearce.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 11:47 am on Fri, Oct 28, 2011.
Special interest groups have paid for thousands of attack mailers against Senator Pearce in this recall election.
The source of their funding reads like Barack Obama’s Christmas card list: Common Cause, MoveOn.org, the National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union and the Tides Voter Action Fund.
The thousands of dollars they’re spending against Senator Pearce distort his record in an effort to back Lewis, a “Republican." Why would these left-wing groups support a Republican for office? Easy. He’s running on their agenda: He opposes SB 1070, Arizona’s tough illegal immigration law, compared 2011 Arizona to 1964 Alabama, and he supports giving your tax dollars to illegal aliens so they can attend college!
Bill. many outsiders are involved in this election because it has national implications. The left desperately needs to Beat Pearce because of his stance on illegal immigration. Admit it Bill, that IS why you hate him and attack him with every word you write. You and all the rest of the progressive socialists detest any effort to get this illegal immigration problem under control and you see Senator Pearce as the man who started the national effort by co-authoring SB1070
You fool no one here.
Irons1 posted at 3:11 pm on Fri, Oct 28, 2011.
If you really check on the finances for Jerry Lewis you would find that none of the people that you say are funding his election really are. In fact none of the groups on your list have contributed. Why would they? A republican is running against a republican. But why let those nasty facts get in the way.
Rational Human posted at 6:51 pm on Fri, Oct 28, 2011.
Define "funding his election" Irons1. All I read was that they are paying for thousands of attack ads against Pearce. This has been disclosed as is required by law and the organizations Patriot listed are indeed the financiers of those attack ads. You don't have to contribute to the Lewis campaign to send out attack ads, but you do have to report who is paying for them, and those groups are reported as is required by law. Maybe you should do a little more digging before spout off about what you didn't read yet or ever will read in the liberal press. Lewis a republican? That's a joke right? Lewis is what any democrat could wish for.
Diogenes Lantern posted at 7:20 pm on Sat, Oct 29, 2011.
One organization spent over $30,000 sending out smear flyers/mailers about Pearce. Lewis says he does not know who his supporters are. Cortes says she does not know who her supporters were.
Lewis did say at the Oct 25 LD 18 meeting that he-Lewis-has been fired 2 out of his 3 jobs. Lewis wanted to get it on the reocrd so it wouldn't be used against him that night since all public record.
Lewis was FIRED from his first job as a CPA. Lewis was forced to become charter school managers even though he is not trained as a teacher or school administration. Cushy job provided by pal, Maricopa County Supervisor Stapley-Staepley of the 118 indictments-search AZ Republic under Don Stapley.
Public record-search Joy Christian and or Sequouia- that Lewis was fired from first school for defrauding the state by $1.9 million by overstating 400 students. FIRED or go to jail.
Then at Lewis' second school, the teacher(s) have filed a lawsuit stating that Lewis stole from the Homeless Donations.
Lewis has split his LDS Church terribly even though he is a Stake President. Nice guy.
Lewis claims to be a Republican but even the AZ Republic states that Lewis received the major of his funding from (progressive) Democrats and MoveOn.
Yes, Pearce received a lot of money from out of state. Read the books "Blueprint" and Horowitz's "Shadow Government" and you would send money top Pearce too. First Colorado and then the Wisconsin recall and now the Pearce Recall by the radical unions and the marxist retreads like Parraz.
Rational Human posted at 8:48 pm on Sun, Oct 30, 2011.
Lewis is ten times the crook Pearce was falsely accused of, but that's of no concern to those who desperately wish to unseat Pearce. Dang that SB1070 author!