Arizona politicians don’t think highly of us voters.
In last year’s midterm elections, Arizona Republicans ran no fewer than three fake Green Party candidates, hoping to bleed liberal contenders in close races.
The incredibly cynical idea was that left-leaning voters, being interested enough to vote but not enough to research candidates, might check green instead of blue just because it was available. These “Greens,” in most elections, had no chance of winning. But whatever votes they got came straight from Democrats.
So Republican activists, including former Arizona Speaker of the House Jim Weiers and twice-disgraced former legislator Steve May, found a grab bag of homeless people, ex-cons and college kids to stand for office.
As offensive as that scheme should be to voters, it was also fairly realistic. With big federal offices at stake, even well-informed voters choose some local jobs by party.
So in a world in which we rarely ask our leaders to be noble, voter fraud struck state politicians as a legitimate tactical decision.
Alas, like so many great political ideas, it worked well until the media got hold of it. Muckraking reporters from across the country seethed with righteous indignation, and a couple of the shams were taken to court and disqualified — right after their names were printed on the ballots.
For some Republicans, that successful ballot crowding justified the scandal. So they swallowed their embarrassment – or never felt it — and stored the sham move in their sack of sleazy tricks for rainy days.
For Russell Pearce, the storms came quickly. Not a year into his term, 8,239 of Pearce’s Mesa constituents signed petitions to remove him. Following a series of lost legislative battles against fellow Republican lawmakers, this is not a good time to look vulnerable. Enter Olivia Cortes.
Cortes, a Mesa Republican and first generation American, threw her hat into the recall election with a fiercely pro-immigrant agenda, “Si se puede” campaign signs and all.
But after entering the race, she largely disappeared. She wasn’t speaking, canvassing, fundraising, or debating, and eventually, people started to wonder who she was.
So with a truckload of subpoenas, public interest lawyers dragged Cortes into a courtroom. From the witness stand, she hardly looked like leadership material.
Cortes wasn’t involved with her staff — composed largely of Pearce allies.
She had no knowledge of her campaign finances. She did not know the meaning, or the origin, of “Si se puede.” After hours of testimony from Cortes and her handlers, it became clear to Superior Court Judge Ed Burke that Cortes was a sham.
But running Cortes makes good sense if you think Mexican Americans are stupid. She has tan skin, a Spanish surname, and Caesar Chavez’s slogan on her signs; those silly anti-Pearce Hispanics should flock right to her.
In a recall election, Pearce’s office is the issue. So tricking voters should be much, much harder than it was last year’s midterm.
Unless, again, you just think Mexican Americans are stupid. And apparently, our Senate president thinks just that.
Reach the columnist at john.a.gaylord@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
