Russell Pearce, the Arizona state senator who drafted the state's infamous "papers, please" immigration law last year and was rewarded with the title of Senate president, may, impossibly enough, lose his job today, in the first recall election of a sitting lawmaker in the state's history. Is Arizona finally getting its act together? Hmm.

Pearce, the "firebrand conservative" who loves Neo-Nazis almost as much as he hates Mexicans, is neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Jerry Lewis heading into today's vote. This is the culmination of a trying year-long process to remove this annoying asshole from office — a year that's seen his other antics, such as the "birther bill," go down in embarrassing defeats. The Arizona Republic summarizes the whole race in a great piece this morning. Here's how it's been going in recent weeks:

Lewis drew the sharpest line when it came to immigration policy. Because of Pearce's tactics, Lewis said, "We are seen as a very unfriendly business state. We are seen as something akin to maybe 1964 Alabama."

Pearce has fought back with a vengeance, painting Lewis and his allies as un-American and even forwarding an e-mail written by a Mormon supporter who called Lewis a "Judas goat" in league with those bent on leading America to its doom. That letter was sharply criticized by another Mesa Mormon lawmaker, state Rep. Steve Court, who unsuccessfully called on Pearce to repudiate it.

C'mon, Arizonans! (In Mesa District 18)! Show us what you're made of. This is an excellent chance to win back some points. Some.

[Image via AP]