Republican
extremist former member of the Arizona State
Senate. He rose to national prominence as the
primary sponsor of Arizona SB1070, a controversial
anti-illegal immigrant measure that was signed into
law in 2010. He was elected President of the Arizona
Senate when the Senate began its January 2011 term
but then suffered a dramatic reversal of fortune
when he was ousted in a November 2011 recall
election, the first legislator in Arizona history to
be so removed from office. He served as Vice-Chair
of the Arizona GOP, but he resigned the position in
September 2014 after controversy over a eugenicist
comment about forced sterilization of poor women on
Medicaid. Prior to his election to the Arizona
Senate in 2008, Pearce served in the Arizona House
of Representatives from 2001 to 2009
"A veritable
Energizer
Bunny of
hate, Russell
Pearce rode
a wave of
unbridled
anti-Mexican
nativism to
become
Arizona’s
powerful
state Senate
president in
2011, only
to be
successfully
recalled in
his deeply
red Mesa
district
later that
same year by
a coalition
of moderate
Republicans
and
pissed-off
Latinos.
Foreshadowing
the rhetoric
used by
President Donald
Trump,
Pearce
called
Mexican
migrants to
the U.S. an
“illegal
invasion,”
blaming them
for a rise
in crime. He
called for a
redo of the
Eisenhower-era
deportation
program
“Operation
Wetback,”
circulated
antisemitic
conspiracy
theories
from a white
supremacist
hate group
and
befriended
and inducted
into the
Mormon faith
Valley
extremist
J.T. Ready,
a virulent
neo-Nazi who
ended up
slaughtering
a family of
four in a
2012 rampage
before
offing
himself. "
"Russell
Pearce was
the only
sitting
Senate
president in
any state
ever to be
recalled
from office.
He was also
the moving
force behind
SB1070 and a
host of
other
anti-immigrant
bills in the
Arizona
Legislature."
"It may
take the
shedding of
blood to
keep this
Republic and
I, for one,
am willing
to do
whatever it
takes," Pearce told
a crowd that
included
members from
anti-immigrant
groups and
other
extremist
organizations."
Apr. 18,
2019
Screen
capture
taken April
4, 2018.
Please note
the fourth
name from
the bottom.
"The
far-right
former
lawmaker who
helped push
Arizona's
"papers
please"
immigration
law has
resigned as
a top
official
with the
state GOP
after making
comments
about sterilizing
poor women."
"Disgraced,
recalled
ex-state
Senate
President Russell
Pearce's
doomed
comeback
campaign
wants voters
to buy the
line that
he's all
goodness and
light these
days, as if
an entire
career built
on lies and
hate never
occurred.
One of the
latest
flyers to
hit the
mailboxes of
Republican
voters in
Legislative
District 25,
where Pearce
desperately
is trying to
claw his way
back into
the state
Senate,
features a
huge image
of a
sleeping
baby and an
inset of a
smiling
Pearce
feeding an
infant."
"An open
records
request to
former
Arizona
state
Senator Russell
Pearce netted
thousands of
email
records sent
from
Pearce's
account that
suggest
Arizona's SB
1070, which
was taken up
as an
American
Legislative
Exchange
Council
"model bill"
but recently
struck down
in large
part by the
U.S. Supreme
Court, was
motivated by
racism and
xenophobia."
"Former
Arizona
State Sen. Russell
Pearce wrote
a missive
Saturday
highlighting
the
collective
failure of
the victims
of the
Aurora,
Colo.
massacre to
stop the
shooter who
left 12
people dead
and nearly
60 wounded
in a movie
theater."
"Former
Arizona
state Senate
President Russell
Pearce,
the author
of his
state’s
draconian
anti-immigrant
law, S.B.
1070, is
notorious
for making
outrageous
claims about
the supposed
dangers
posed by
immigrants –
both
documented
and not."
"According
to the
Yellow
Sheet, Pearce made
this crack
about what
he and his
buddy
Sheriff Joe
Arpaio would
do if
workers
stood up for
their rights
and
demonstrated:
“I’ve spoken
with the
sheriff, and
he has some
nice buses
that hold a
lot of
people.
We’ve also
got some
tents with a
view.”
"Kudos to
KPHO/Channel
5 for
reporting on
allegations
of child
abuse
involving
state Senate
president Russell
Pearce's
son Joshua
Pearce [...]
This
morning,
Mesa Police
Department
spokesman
Edward
Wessing
confirmed
the stats on
Josh's
run-ins with
the Mesa
cops: 21
involvements
as an adult,
10 as a
juvenile,
and 10 adult
arrests."
"This video shows State Senator Russell Pearce endorsing JT Ready (AZ's most famous White Supremacist) in 2006 for Mesa City Council. The footage has never been seen by the public until now. The footage and the Mormon Document and picture was given to Steve Lemons (Phoenix New Times) by a confidential source. He gave me a copy.
The video also shows Pearce deny knowing Ready in 2007 as well as an exclusive interview with JT Ready telling his side of the story. It's interesting. According to Ready, they use to hang on his porch and tell Mexican jokes. I asked Ready if Pearce ever told him to "cool it" as JT Ready openly supports NSM and other white supremacist ideals. Ready stated that he never did but his wife, Lu Ann had as she was concerned of Russell's career.
Probably the most interesting thing is Ready explaining his relationship and role with Pearce's long-time political crusade against Mexicans. It's also important to note that while JT Ready seems to be telling the truth-I have no way of verifying everything he says. I will give him credit as so far he seems to show more integrity and honesty then Senator Pearce. Ready is not happy with Pearce's recent activities with Lobbyists, his public disapproval of the NSM march on Nov 13, 2010 and his repeated denial of their long time friendship and political alliance on the immigration issue. Mr. Pearce should probably get honest real soon as the skeletons in his closet are messy and plenty and its time to take them out. I have more info and will be releasing it. If I were him, I'd come clean first. The people of Arizona deserve the truth."
