Mayor Gordon recall effort apparently dead

The recall effort against Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is dead - for now, anyway.

In a surprise ending to a four-month saga, the anti-illegal immigration group American Citizens United failed to turn in any signatures before Thursday's 5 p.m. deadline.

Organizer Phillip Quihuis said the group failed to meet its goal of collecting 40,000 signatures. At least 23,751 valid signatures were needed to force a recall election, but campaigns typically gather many more to provide a cushion in case a significant portion are ruled invalid.

Letting the Thursday deadline pass would allow the group to launch another recall effort in the future, Quihuis said.

In a statement, Gordon pledged to continue his agenda.

"I am proud of the work we've done together over the past five years and am focused on the agenda we've set for the city of Phoenix for the future," Gordon said in a statement.

The recall's failure marks a stinging defeat for the activists who said Gordon deserved to be ousted for not doing enough to address problems created by illegal immigration.

But Quihuis cautioned the mayor not to celebrate too much.

"If he wants to get cocky and thinks the fact we didn't deliver the signatures means that people are in favor of a sanctuary-city policy, he would be mistaken," Quihuis said.