LD18

The Arizona conservatives declared all out war on moderate Republicans they deemed not conservative enough and they won; big.

Conservative activists and blogs got behind both Sydney Hay in AZ-1 and David Schweikert in AZ-5 as their congressional candidates of choice and both ended up winning close primary races.

In the legislature they had even more success.  In the Senate they were able win every seat they targeted.  The were able to fend off a challenge of conservative favorite Jack Harper in LD4.  In LD1 newcomer Steve Pierce was able to knock off incumbent Senator Tom O'Halleran.  Conservatives put an all out effort in LD18 where Russell Pearce was able to easily hold off Kevin Gibbons.  The other senate race they concentrated on was in LD26 where their pick Al Melvin defeated Pete Hershberger.  

UPDATE, 10:30 p.m.: 

Republicans Jerry Weiers and Steve Montenegro have survived the LD12 Republican primary in the House and will move on to the general election.  Robert Blendu came in a close third. 

Thayer Verschoor has held off a late charge by Eddie Farnsworth in the LD22 senate race and will hold onto his seat and will likely have the inside edge to become the next senate president. 

Incumbent Barbara McGuire survived her House primary in LD23 and will be joined in the general election by Ernest Bustamante.  Both defeated Dorian Bond,Krista Pacion and Emily Verdugo-Aldrichin the primary. 

Yesterday we posted about a mailer the group Mesa Deserves Better sent to voters about a 28-year old divorce paper between Russell Pearce and his wife. LuAnne Pearce hit back calling the mailing despicable. Below is her full letter.

“Recently opponents of our State’s employer sanctions law made despicable, misleading and false attacks on my husband and our family. Twenty-eight years ago a petition for divorce was filed on my behalf. The allegations in this 28 year old document are not true and the petition was shortly thereafter withdrawn.

The people behind this “Mesa Deserves Better” committee are not honorable. Their only purpose is to destroy my husband’s good reputation, to hurt our family and to repeal the law which prevents them from hiring individuals who are in this country illegally. I urge everyone to reject these mean spirited people and all who are affiliated with them. It is apparent that they will go to any length and use any measure to further their own political agenda.

My husband is a good man, a man of faith who taught our children and grandchildren the meaning of honor and duty to God, Family and Country. I hope all voters in District 18 join me in supporting my husband for State Senate and rejecting these misleading and false attacks.”

-LuAnne Pearce

The independent expenditure group Mesa Deserves Better has taken the gloves completely off against Representative Russell Pearce in his campaign for senate. In a mailer sent to voters, the group points to 1980 divorce papers between Pearce and his wife that alleged Pearce “possessed a violent temper, and from time to time his and shoved his wife.”

Mesa Deserves Better was formed on 7/18/2008 and is chaired by Republican consultant Nathan Sproul.

H/T to Espresso Pundit

There is a newcomer to the Legislative District 18 senate race, and it's not a candidate. Judgment Matters, a new political action committee, is trying to raise funds for a "primary voter education and mobilization effort in Arizona Legislative District 18" - one that opposes the Arizona Senate candidacy of state Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa).

The group is urging donations so that it can mount "independent expenditures" - usually advertising - against Pearce in his primary fight with Kevin Gibbons.

"A surgically-timed contribution from you and others can help excise Russell Pearce and his strain of politics from Arizona's legislature," read the Judgment Matters pitch.

Last week the Maricopa County Republican Committee Executive Guidance Council decided to get involved in the LD18 senate primary after it was learned Republican Kevin Gibbons had received $1,500 in campaign contributions from former Democrat Party Chairman Jim Pederson and his family. The County Chairman of the MCRC, Tom Husband encouraged Gibbons to give the donations back to Pederson.

Arizona Sen. Jim Waring (R-Phoenix) and Democratic LD12 candidate Eve Nunez, who have both turned in the maximum number of signatures allowable to Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer. Waring raked in 1,316, maxing out for a Republican in LD7, and Nunez's 1,132 signatures are the most allowed to be recorded for a Democrat in LD12.

Though filing only opened at the beginning of the month, a steady stream of filings have been presented to Brewer's office, and already some races are starting to take shape, in particular the House races for LDs 18 and 30.

Sen. Karen Johnson (R-Mesa) is leaning toward retirement, but won't make a decision until the session is over.