It’s official: Senate President Russell Pearce is the first sitting elected legislator who will face a recall election in Arizona history. The Secretary of State today confirmed that the group seeking Pearce’s recall has submitted more than enough signatures for the special election to take place.
The fast pace of the work done by state and county election officials means the special election will take place this November — unless someone successfully challenges the signatures in court. Gov. Jan Brewer has 15 days from today to issue an order calling for a special election, which must occur at the next scheduled election date that is more than 90 days away, meaning Pearce will go before voters in November.
Pearce’s critics now face the daunting task of finding and persuading a credible candidate to go against the Senate’s most powerful politician in one of Arizona’s most conservative enclaves.
In order for that candidate to have any chance of toppling Pearce, he or she will likely have to be a Republican with solid conservative credentials.
Organizers of the group that sought Pearce’s recall are aware of those difficulties but are hopeful that somebody would take up the challenge.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time and no one is going to just magically appear,” said Randy Parraz of Citizens for a Better Arizona, which spearheaded the recall effort. Parraz added that possible candidates will have to be persuaded and assured of campaign support.
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