Mormons oust Mormon: Why Russell Pearce lost

Most coverage of Tuesday’s night’s recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce ( R) in Mesa, Arizona has focused on the fact that Russell authored the state’s controversial immigration legislation.

Pearce was defeated by Republican Jerry Lewis, a charter school executive, in a Republican primary that many may see as a referendum on a harsh immigration law similar to the one signed by Gov. Jan Brewer ( R) and challenged by the Obama administration in the courts.

Immigration was a factor in his defeat — in large part because the Mormon Church decided that it should be. But an ethics scandal and under-handed campaign tactics also played a role.

Share
Stay in the loop!
Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content