Only 20% of Kevin Gibbons' Donors are from Mesa

When it comes to elections, its been a quiet summer so far, except for the Gibbons/Pearce contest which seems to be getting hotter by the minute. It makes you wonder if all of the other races around here are fairly pedestrian, or if they haven't realized that Early voting starts next week.

I have spent a little bit of time on Kevin Gibbons' website, and he spends a lot of time talking about Mesa, and how as a legislator, he would work closely with Mesa. In his Issues section, he talks even more about Mesa. In fact, he says,

"So much more can be accomplished by working together with the City to improve services, capitalize on the opportunities for economic growth and build a better Mesa."

It almost sounds like he is running for City Council instead of the State Senate. Don't get me wrong, I think its important for legislators to understand where they come from and respect that their duty is to their constituents. That is why I was pretty surprised when this came across my email:

Gibbons Funded by Out-of-Town Open Borders Supporters
District 18 1st Vice Chairman, E. Paul Whetten to Kevin Gibbons:
“Give Back Money from Open Borders Advocates”

MESA – District 18 Senate Republican Candidate Kevin Gibbons claims that he has the answers for our immigration policy problems. As an immigration attorney Mr. Gibbons has a credible claim to expertise in immigration law, but one look at his list of donors shows where his loyalties in immigration policy come from.

While Gibbons says that he wants represent Mesa, only 20.6% of his donations come from people who live within the city. In fact, only 15.1% of his donations are from people in District 18. In contrast, 100% of Russell Pearce’s donors are from inside the district.

More to the point, 53 of Gibbons’ donors are out-of-town farmers from Yuma and Buckeye, with over 30% of his total donations coming from Yuma alone. A large majority of these donations come from the farming community that is actively engaged in employing cheap labor which is against Arizona’s new employer sanctions laws. Since Mr. Gibbons would obviously better represent the views of his Yuma “constituents,” perhaps he should consider running for their senate seat.

Kevin Gibbons supports initiatives that will weaken the laws requiring the use of E-Verify. He also advocates for a guest worker program that will basically open the borders for his farm and fast food supporters who desire cheap labor. Kevin Gibbons’ policy positions are not the forward thinking policies supported by the citizens of District 18. On the contrary, they are the failed “business-as-usual” policies that do nothing to solve our immigration problems and promote the defiance of our laws.

While Gibbons talks of “real reform” for illegal immigration, his supporters and backers tell a different story. From former Democratic Party Chairmen to Open Border Supporters, his rhetoric does not match the real intentions of his patrons.

Russell Pearce has been a champion of the taxpayer and a nationally recognized leader on immigration issues. He has the conservative credentials and a solid track record of representing the people of District 18. Even a cursory examination of Mr. Gibbons’ list of out-of-town open border advocates and Democrat power brokers reveal who he would really represent.

If Mr. Gibbons sincerely wants to represent the citizens of District 18, I suggest that he return donations he’s received from supporters whose policies we have clearly rejected.

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I highlighted the section in red, because I think it is the most important to note of the whole release. I understand that a candidate is going to get money from PACs and people from outside the district, etc. But people should notice that only 20% of his donors to come from Mesa, and only 15% come from his district. I think that this is something that Gibbons should respond to.

Its one thing to take money from Jim Pederson. Its another thing to take money from just about anyone. If he cares about Mesa as much as he says on his website, shouldn't more people in Mesa be financially supporting him?