While cleaning out my garage I stumbled across an old newspaper cut-out of a 1987 fundraising letter sent by former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham. A Google search could not locate any instances of the text of this letter online, so, despite wanting to forget that the man ever existed, and forget the ugly chapter in Arizona history that he represents, I still find it necessary to post the text of the message here. Please see this as a painful reminder of what damage voting for a candidate solely because of his or her political party, rather than on the basis of the issues, can cause.

Dear Fellow Conservative:

As Governor of the great state of Arizona, I want to extend to you an unprecedented invitation.

I would like you to pick up and move to Arizona.

That’s right, I want you to sell your house, pack your belongings, quit your job and come to the most beautiful state in the Union.

I know this is a very unusual invitation. And believe me, I’m not extending it to everyone.

I’m asking you because I was given your name and told you are one of the leading conservatives in your part of the country.

Right now, Arizona and, particularly its Governor, needs the help of a few more good solid conservative leaders like you.

You see, right now, I’m under attack from some of the most powerful and dangerous liberal groups in the nation.

They’re bringing the enormous resources of their national organizations into Arizona to fight against me.

Unless I get immediate help from dedicated conservatives, like you, from all across the country these left wing groups may succeed in their drive to launch a recall against me and end my conservative administration.

You may be asking yourself, “How can a conservative Governor who has been in office only a few months already be the top target of several of the biggest left wing organizations in America?”

Let me explain.

The conservative agenda I campaigned on a hand aggressively pursued since my victory calls for reducing the size of government, cutting government waste, cracking down on drugs and pornography.

My policies have come as a shock to many of the liberal groups who grew fat and comfortable under the waste and excess of my liberal Democrat predecessors.

But it has been my “say-what’s on-your-mind” approach to government which has infuriated the left wing activists.

In a day and age when militant gay leaders are feeding the nation a steady diet of their “alternative life-styles” and they stand before the nightly news cameras demanding that the taxpayers pay for their AIDS treatments, I feel it is important for conservatives to stand up for traditional American values.

When I speak out for the American family and embrace a system of values other than theirs, they become extremely intolerant.

In fact, they can’t just disagree with me.  Instead they are seeking to destroy me.

I now have a much fuller understanding of what Barry Goldwater went through when he first spoke out for our conservative principles.

I am deeply grateful to the thousands of good Arizonians who are rallying to aid me at this critical moment.

However, I cannot stress enough that I need your outside help to counter the liberal outsiders who are preparing to spend millions against me.

There’s another reason why you should support me.

As conservatives we must not let the left get away with these intimidation tactics.  These left wing groups are seeking to scare us away from even disagreeing with them.

If I lose this historic battle it will make it even more dangerous for other conservatives to stand up for our traditional American family values.

Here in Arizona we are fighting a battle to see whether it is possible anymore for a conservative to speak his mind.

If we lose, it will have a terrible chilling effect on those who advocate our traditional values in the future.

If they destroy me it will be a sad day for conservatives everywhere and most of all for America.

If you care about the American family values and our conservative principles as deeply as I do I urge you to stand with me in this fight.

You can either move to Arizona and join the fight. (I know you would fall in love with this State and its people.)

Or you can join this fight for the conservative ideals we share by making a generous contribution to my campaign to fight the recall.

I need to raise no less than $1.2 million dollars in the next 45 days.

I must begin immediately to recruit the volunteers, prepare the phonebanks, ready the TV/radio commercials and print the literature I’ll need to turn back this liberal assault.

I hesitate to suggest and amount for you to send but if you would consider sending as much as $25, $35 or even $100 I would be deeply grateful to you.

Without your contribution I risk being crushed by the millions of dollars the militant liberals and the homosexual lobby plan to spend against me.

There’s not much time left so I urge you, please, as a personal favor to me, respond today.  The situation is critical.

I’m anxious to hear back from you.  Always know you are welcome in the State of Arizona.  And maybe if you don’t want to move to Arizona, please consider coming to my second Inauguration which you will be paving the way for with your contribution today.

P.S. If I survive and beat back this attack then maybe, just maybe, you might be spared being attacked by the left wingers because of what you believe.  But we’ve got to stick together.  I thank you for your time and I know you’ll be as generous as you can be.