Russell Pearce's Olivia Cortes Fiasco: Video

My compatriot Dennis Gilman put together the video above of our forays in search of the elusive Olivia Cortes, wannabe contender in the upcoming November 8 recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce in Legislative District 18.Cortes's nomination signatures were submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Friday...

By Stephen Lemons

September 12, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

My compatriot Dennis Gilman put together the video above of our forays in search of the elusive Olivia Cortes, wannabe contender in the upcoming November 8 recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce in Legislative District 18.

Cortes's nomination signatures were submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Friday by Greg Western, a Pearce supporter and chairman of the East Valley Tea Party.

Western's appearance cemented the perception that Cortes is a plant, meant to "dilute" the vote, as one of her paid petition circulators put it to me.

I continue to be astonished at how dumb the pro-Pearce camp has been. Why have Western drop off the signatures, for instance? Why not someone nobody knows?

Maybe the pro-Pearce folks thought nobody would know Western. But after I knocked on his door, you'd think they would have caught a clue.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.