Jerry Lewis, Arizona

Jerry Lewis
Arizona State Senate District 18
Incumbent
In office
November 22, 2011 - present
Term ends
January 10, 2013
Years in position	1
Party	Republican
Compensation
Base salary	$24,000/year
Per diem	$35/day for the first 120 days of regular session and for special sessions and $10/day thereafter
Elections and appointments
First elected	November 8, 2011
Next election	November 6, 2012
Term limits	Four consecutive terms
Personal
Profession	Charter School Organization Executive
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Jerry Lewis is a Republican member of the Arizona State Senate representing District 18. He was elected in the November 8, 2011 recall of incumbent Sen. Russell Pearce (R). It was the first ever recall of an elected state official in the state's history.

Lewis currently serves as superintendent of a statewide charter school organization. He formerly worked as a certified public accountant and was senior manager for the accounting firm Deloitte and Touche.

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Jerry Lewis, Arizona has endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

Elections

2011

See also: Russell Pearce recall, Arizona State Legislature (2011)

Lewis announced his candidacy against Pearce on July 27, 2011, promising to run a positive campaign devoid of personal attacks. On August 18, Lewis submitted 1,187 signatures to qualify for the ballot, nearly double the 621 required. The election will take place on November 8, 2011.

When asked why he was running Lewis stated, "I've been a resident of the district and the state for nearly 30 years. We bought our home here, raised our kids here and plan to stay here. Like those who recruited me, we love Mesa and our neighbors across District 18 and want to make sure that we restore a positive image and are represented in a way that best portrays our shared values."

Certified election results show Pearce lost to Lewis. The county had to verify the results, then they had to be certified by the Secretary of State's office along with the Governor and Attorney General, which took take place November 21.

Recall of Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce**, 2011
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Russell Pearce Incumbent	43.5%	10,121
Jerry Lewis	55.1%	12,812
Olivia Cortes (withdrawn)	1.2%	277
Write-In Candidate	0.2%	57
Total Votes		23,267

^{**16 of 16 precincts reporting (100%)}

Issues

On his website, Lewis outlines four main issues of his campaign:

• Education: "I don’t necessarily believe in more money for education, I believe in more money for teachers who perform well. Great teachers produce great results! Our policies and resources must be aligned to attract and retain the best teachers. Arizona should get the biggest bang for its education buck."
• Economy: "With an unemployment rate of 9.4% and a depressed housing market, Arizona is bleeding. Jobs are the only way to stop the bleeding. As your State Senator, I will work to make Arizona’s business climate conducive to job growth and expansion by working with business and government leaders to restore Arizona’s and Mesa’s positive image and reducing or eliminating unnecessary government intervention and regulation."
• Budget/Taxes: "We must not give the appearance that we have solved the state budget crisis by creating an even greater crisis for our counties, cities and towns. Certainly hard economic times demand that we all tighten our belts and eliminate non-essential spending in an informed manner. However we must not be hostile to local governments in doing so. I believe in local control. Taking away state shared revenues, changing impact fees, and controlling that which cities do with public safety, law enforcement and unfunded mandates merely passes the budget crisis down to those who are in less of a position to deal with it."
• Immigration: "I stand for the rule of law and am not for open borders. The federal government has the responsibility to secure our national borders and create manageable and meaningful immigration policy." "Arizona’s first priority is to effectively and collaboratively work with the federal government to secure and enforce the border. While the federal government fulfills its responsibility to secure the border, I support a rational and fair solution for dealing with immigrants who have committed no crime other than being here without proper documentation. Reasonable, enforceable and sustainable immigration reform must be guided by principles of maintaining national security, respecting all humanity, preserving families, enforcing the rule of law, and weighing economic impact."

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term ""Jerry + Lewis" + Arizona + Senate"

Jerry Lewis News Feed

• Insider: Forum is Exhibit A on primary - Tucson Citizen
• Despite public cry for gift ban, lawmakers slow to act - KPNX-12
• Arizona taxpayers may end up paying the bill for Pearce recall - East Valley Tribune
• Glendale 5th-graders help fight childhood obesity with policies - Arizona Republic
• Proposal to pay Pearce recall costs stirs debate - NECN
• POLL: If gay marriage is allowed, should polygamous plural marriage be allowed? - Tucson Citizen
• Clyburn to take on Hoyer?, Debt limit sandwich summit, Operatives turn on ... - Politico
• Bob Worsley beats Russell Pearce in the LD25 polls for senate Republican primary - Tucson Citizen
• Redistricting consultant regrets choice of words - Arizona Republic

Additional reading

• Arizona Central, "Russell Pearce recall election: Hear from the candidates," October 24, 2011

External links

Suggest a link

• Arizona State Legislature - Sen. Jerry Lewis
• Official campaign website
• Facebook campaign page
• Jerry Lewis on Twitter

References

Political offices
Preceded by Russell Pearce	Arizona State Senate District 18 November 22, 2011–present	Succeeded by NA