Russell Pearce, former Arizona State Senator and architect of the controversial Arizona immigration bill, SB 1070, speaks in front of the Supreme Court following oral arguments on the law in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2012. UPI/Kevin Dietsch |
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PHOENIX, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Former state Sen. Russell Pearce resigned as Arizona Republican Party vice chair after saying on his "no holds barred" radio show women on welfare should be sterilized.
Pearce said that his comments had been written by someone else and his mistake was to read them without attribution. But he also said he now sees that his work as a radio show host is in conflict with serving as first vice chairman of the state party. In a letter to Republican Chairman Robert Graham, Pearce said "that hosting a radio show and the nature of the debates that we have had and will continue to have are incompatible with what our Party needs from its leadership team."
The party announced his resignation late Sunday.
Pearce's comments were criticized by both Democrats and Republicans after the Democratic executive director, D.J. Quinlan, issued a news release Saturday.
"You put me in charge of Medicaid, the first thing I'd do is get Norplant, birth-control implants, or tubal ligations," Quinlan quoted Pearce as saying.
Pearce added that recipients of benefits should also be tested for alcohol and drugs and that anyone who wants to have children or use alcohol or drugs should "get a job."
Pearce, who rose to be chief sheriff's deputy in Maricopa County, served in the state legislature from 2000 to 2011. He was president of the Senate when he was ousted in a recall election.
As a legislator, he was best known for his stand on illegal immigration and was a co-sponsor of Arizona's SB 1070, a controversial 2010 law that would have given law enforcement wide latitude to check immigration status without probably cause. In 2012, the United States Supreme Court struck down 3 provisions, but upheld status checks in the course of law enforcement stops.
The web site for his call-in show, The Russell Pearce Show, promises controversy.
"Senator Russell Pearce offers listeners and callers alike a no holds barred take on federal, state, and local politics without reservation," the site said. "He's the John Wayne of the airwaves, the Chuck Norris of the talk radio circuit."
