Friday, July 4, 2008

Gibbons skipped by Maricopa County Republicans

MARICOPA COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
10050 W. Bell Road, Suite 49, Sun City West, AZ 85351
623-977-4532 mcrchairman@AOL.com

Tom Husband, Chairman Diane Ortiz-Parsons, First Vice-chair

Jeff Greenspan, Second Vice-chair

Debbie Lesko, Secretary Chuck Hammerslag, Treasurer

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release
July 4 2008

Frosty Taylor,
Communications/PR

frostytaylor@cox.net


MCRC Endorses Rep. Russell Pearce for State Senate

The Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) has endorsed current State Representative Russell Pearce in his primary contest for the vacant State Senate seat in Legislative District 18. The endorsement was voted upon Thursday evening (July 3rd) during the regular MCRC Executive Guidance Committee (EGC) meeting held at GOP headquarters in Phoenix.

While not without precedence, the endorsement of a candidate in a primary by the MCRC is very rare. The last time it occurred was in the 2004 LD20 State Senate contest between John Huppenthal and Slade Mead. According to MCRC Chairman Tom Husband, like the 2004 endorsement, this decision was not the result of one single thing, but an accumulation of many things.

“It is hard to imagine a better and more principled legislator than Russell Pearce” said Husband, who added “What is going on in LD18 is an attempt by fringe open-border and amnesty advocates to exact revenge on Rep. Pearce for his brave stands on border security and preserving the rule of law.” Proponents providing major funding to Pearce’s opponent, Kevin Gibbons, are often related to agricultural, fast food, and homebuilding businesses. Many are also major donors to the perversely named “Stop Illegal Hiring” initiative that would gut Arizona’s employer sanctions law. Another major factor in the MCRC’s decision was the high-profile support Gibbons is receiving from Democrat legislators and party leaders, including Yuma State Representative Lynne Pancrazi and 2006 U.S. Senate candidate and Democrat party boss Jim Pedersen.

As one “Yes” vote observed during the discussion of the endorsement, “The Democrats already have one candidate in the general election. They don’t deserve to have two shots at the seat.”

The MCRC endorsement allows the Maricopa County Republican Committee to use its resources and large grassroots organizations to get involved on Pearce’s behalf. Several district chairmen involved in the endorsement have indicated that they will be lining up volunteers to phone bank and door knock on Pearce’s behalf.

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