The Colorado Democratic Party’s State Central Committee voted to censure Governor Jared Polis, a fellow Democrat, for his decision to commute the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk and 2020 election whistleblower Tina Peters.The vote, conducted during a virtual meeting, passed with approximately 89.8 percent to 90 percent support among central committee members.
Peters was convicted in 2024 on multiple felony counts, including attempting to influence a public official, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with an order of the secretary of state.Prosecutors has accused her of allowing unauthorized access to Mesa County voting systems in the period following the 2020 presidential election.
She was originally sentenced to roughly nine years in prison in 2024, a sentence that was deemed extreme by critics and Governor Polis himself. When announcing the commutation, Polis cited a recent case of a state senator convicted of similar crimes but managed to escape jail time altogether.
Polis also stated that Peters was unfairly sentenced due to her political speech. “She, because of her incorrect and unpopular speech, got an unduly harsh sentence,” the Democrat governor said while speaking with CNN.
Polis went on to emphasize that he disagrees with Peters but felt the sentence was too harsh. “I’m a strong supporter of free speech. I share and vehemently disagree with the way Tina Peters chooses to use her free speech. But it’s a free country, she’s free to do it,” he said.
“I hope that Democrats don’t sacrifice our deeply held belief in free speech because of political expediency or disregard for what people are saying. There should be no consideration of what we say, how unpopular it is, how inaccurate it is in sentencing or in criminal proceedings.”
The Colorado Democratic Party responded with fury to the governor’s move. “The State Central Committee finds that Governor Jared Polis’s decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters materially harmed the Colorado Democratic Party’s institutional credibility and efforts to defend democratic institutions and election integrity,” the party said in an official statement.
“The State Central Committee formally condemns Governor Jared Polis’s clemency decision regarding Tina Peters and formally censures Governor Jared Polis for conduct inconsistent with the Colorado Democratic Party’s commitment to democratic institutions, election integrity, and public accountability.”
The party further stated that the decision “does not reflect the values, institutional positions, or democratic commitments of the Colorado Democratic Party” and barred Polis from participating as an honored guest, featured speaker, or officially recognized representative at party-sponsored events, including the Obama Gala and DemFest, until further action by the committee.
Polis’ censure follows a petition signed by more than 600 Democrat officials, activists and party leaders calling for immediate action against the governor.
“The Governor made this decision based on the facts of the case and what he believed was the right thing to do. Sometimes the right thing isn’t the popular thing with everybody. Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship,” a spokesperson for the governor said in response.
