Steve Pearce | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2011 | |
| Chair of theNew Mexico Republican Party | |
| In office December 8, 2018 – December 7, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ryan Cangiolosi |
| Succeeded by | Amy Barela |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Teague |
| Succeeded by | Xochitl Torres Small |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Skeen |
| Succeeded by | Harry Teague |
| Member of theNew Mexico House of Representatives from the 62nd district | |
| In office January 20, 1997 – January 13, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | William Cruse |
| Succeeded by | Donald Bratton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stevan Edward Pearce (1947-08-24)August 24, 1947 (age 78) Lamesa, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | New Mexico State University (BBA) Eastern New Mexico University (MBA) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1970–1976 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing[1] |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal |
Stevan Edward Pearce (born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and politician who served as theU.S. representative forNew Mexico's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of theRepublican Party and was his party's unsuccessful nominee in the2008 U.S senate election and the2018 gubernatorial election. On December 8, 2018, Pearce was elected Chair of theNew Mexico Republican Party, replacing Ryan Cangiolosi. He was re-elected in December 2020.[2][3]
Pearce was born inLamesa, Texas, and raised inHobbs, New Mexico. He attended college atNew Mexico State University inLas Cruces, having earned aBachelor of Business Administration ineconomics. Afterward, he received aMaster of Business Administration fromEastern New Mexico University inPortales. While at New Mexico State University, Pearce was elected president of the student body.
He served in theVietnam War as aC-130 pilot in theUnited States Air Force.[1] Pearce flew over 518 hours of combat flight and 77 hours of combat support. He was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross and twoAir Medals, as well as seven other military medals and four exceptional service awards. Upon returning to the United States, Pearce was assigned to theStrategic Air Command atBlytheville Air Force Base,Arkansas. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of captain.[4]
Pearce and his wife owned and operated Lea Fishing Tools, anoilfield services company inHobbs, New Mexico, until they sold the business in 2003 toKey Energy Services for $12 million.[5]
Pearce was elected to theNew Mexico House of Representatives in 1996 and re-elected in 1998, both times unopposed.[6]
He was elected as Republican Caucus Chairman and served on the Appropriations Committee.[4]
Pearce ran for theUnited States Senate in the seat held by longtime incumbent DemocratJeff Bingaman. He lost in the Republican primary to formerthird district U.S. CongressmanBill Redmond 60% to 22%.[7]
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Eleven term incumbent Republican U.S. RepresentativeJoe Skeen decided to retire. In the Republican primary, Pearce ran and won the five candidate field with a plurality of 35%. His closest challenger wasrancher and businessmanEdward R. Tinsley, owner of theK-Bob's Steakhouse, who got 27%.[8] Coincidentally, both Pearce and Tinsley were reared in the smallWest Texas city ofLamesa inDawson County. In the general election, Pearce defeated Democratic state senatorJohn Arthur Smith 56% to 44%.[9]
Pearce won re-election to a second term against Democratic state representativeGary King 60% to 40%.[10]
Pearce won re-election to a third term against Democratic pastor Al Kissling 59% to 40%.[11]
Pearce ran for the open Senate seat of retiring six term Republican US SenatorPete Domenici. He did not run for reelection to the 2nd District, making New Mexico's 2nd District an open seat race. Democratic business ownerHarry Teague defeated Republican restaurateurEdward R. Tinsley 56% to 44%.[12]
On August 1, 2009, Pearce announced his intention to take back his former congressional seat. On June 1, 2010, he won the Republican primary without any serious challengers. He was endorsed in the race by former vice presidential nomineeSarah Palin.[13] He drew criticism from local media after an event in Los Lunas where he refused to say whether he believesBarack Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen.[14][15]
Pearce defeated incumbent Democrat Harry Teague 55% to 45%.[16][17]
Pearce won reelection for a 5th term to Congress and 2nd consecutive term in 2012. He defeated Democratic former educator Evelyn Madrid Erhard 59% to 41%.[18] During the campaign, Pearce's largest donors were Mack Energy Corporation and Yates Petroleum. Pearce received $209,600 from the oil and gas sector during the campaign cycle.[19]
Pearce won re-election against Democrat Roxanne "Rocky" Lara with 64% of the vote.[20]
Pearce won re-election against Democrat Merrie Lee Soules with 62% of the vote.[21]
Pearce did not seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2018, instead running unsuccessfully forGovernor of New Mexico.
In 2005, Pearce was accused of havingplagiarized articles from think tanks likeThe Heritage Foundation.[22] The articles were published under Pearce's name in small papers throughout New Mexico. His press secretary, Jim Burns, admitted to having plagiarized the articles himself without Pearce's knowledge, and quickly resigned.[23]
On October 16, 2007, Pearce announced he would run for the Republican nomination to replacePete Domenici in the U.S. Senate.
Fellow Republican representativeHeather Wilson had previously declared her candidacy in that race.[27] In late October 2007, Pearce made 130,000 automated phone calls to justify his opposition to theState Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill that would have provided health benefit to children, which the Wilson campaign claimed "Pearce violated House ethics by urging those he called to contact him through his official, non-campaign phone number or check out his official, non-campaign Web site."[28][29]
In March 2008, Pearce garnered 55% of the vote at the Republican pre-primary nominating convention.[30] He narrowly won the June 3, 2008 Republican primary.
Pearce faced fellow U.S. RepresentativeTom Udall, a Democrat who representedNew Mexico's 3rd congressional district, and lost in the general election, 61% to 39%.
In July 2017, Pearce announced his run forGovernor of New Mexico.[31] to replace the term-limited Republican governorSusana Martinez. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Pearce lost to Democratic nomineeMichelle Lujan Grisham, a fellow New MexicoU.S. Representative from the1st district in the general election on November 6, 2018.[32]
In 2010, Pearce expressed skepticism that PresidentBarack Obama was born in the United States.[33][34]
Pearce hasquestioned thescientific consensus on climate change.[35][36][37] He said that "in fact the last 17 years there has not been global warming" and that "there are 31,000 scientists who say that human action is not causing the global warming at all".[35]
Pearce had been a long-time advocate of oil and gas drilling inOtero Mesa.[38][39]
After Joe Biden defeatedDonald Trump in the2020 presidential election, Pearce and the New Mexico GOPcast doubt on the validity of the election results.[40] Soon after the election was called for Biden, Pearce called for donations so Trump canchallenge the results.[41] In late 2020, Pearce supported the Trump campaign'sefforts to invalidate Biden's victory in New Mexico, falsely claiming that massive voter fraud occurred.[42][43] In his podcast, Pearce aired numerous conspiracy theories about the election, claiming he wanted to investigate possible "anomalies".[40][44] In December 2020, Pearce issued a statement supporting theTexas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit aiming to overturn the certification of Biden's victory in multiple states, citingfalse claims of fraud.[40]
On January 7, 2021, Pearce drew criticism when he claimed that alleged irregularities in the election "tarnished" democracy, soon after Biden's electoral victory was certified by Congress.[45] On January 9, Pearcetweeted that Trump "will be our President FOREVER and no one can take that away from us." The tweet was soon deleted but Pearce defended his post, saying that Trump's false claims of fraud were legitimate and insisted that there was massive voting irregularities in the election.[46]
Pearce has been married to his wife Cynthia for over 20 years. In 2013, Pearce published a memoir calledJust Fly the Plane, Stupid!. It received attention because Pearce controversially wrote in the memoir that a wife should "voluntarily submit" to her husband, just as the husband should "lovingly lead and sacrifice".[47]
Pearce attends Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, aSouthern Baptist church inHobbs.[48]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 2nd congressional district 2003–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 2nd congressional district 2011–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew Mexico (Class 2) 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of New Mexico 2018 | Succeeded by Mark Ronchetti |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNew Mexico Republican Party 2018–2024 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| Territorial (1851–1912) |
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| At-large seats (1912–1969) |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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| International | |
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| People | |
