No shame: Cortes signature gathers admit she’s running to split the vote

by David Safier

Looks like Russell Pearce doesn't think he can win this recall election fair and square in a one-on-one race with Jerry Lewis. He's thrown in a ringer, Olivia Cortes, to dilute the vote. The paid signature gatherers trying to get Cortes on the ballot tell potential signers, if you're for Pearce, sign the petition for Cortes.

This from The Republic:

On Thursday, a woman who said she was being paid to circulate Cortes' petitions, stopped a Republic reporter leaving the library.

The reporter mentioned rumors that Cortes had entered the race to split the vote.

"Right," the woman said. "Not away from Pearce. To Pearce."

Reporter: "So she's actually hoping that Pearce will win the recall?"

Circulator: "Right."

The Phoenix New Times heard the same thing.

When Suzanne asked if I lived in LD 18, I fibbed and said I did. She then asked if I was a Russell Pearce supporter. So I told an even bigger fib, and said yes.

"Then you want to sign this," Suzanne told me. "The whole purpose of getting her on the ballot is to dilute the vote so that [Pearce] stays in."

She's not running on her own behalf, I asked incredulously?

"She's running on her own," the woman said. "But the whole purpose is to split the vote. So that everyone who [is] against [Pearce] will vote for two people instead of one, and that way [Pearce] will get the most votes."

Want to hear it yourself? Here's an audio of a signature gatherer explaining the one and only reason Cortes is in the race.

Truth About Cortes Campaign

Let's hope the media keeps covering the Cortes story. There's nothing like the stench of desperation from the Pearce camp to turn on-the-fence voters away from him.