The Colorado Democratic Party formally censured Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday night for reducing the prison term of a former county clerk convicted of tampering with voting systems, escalating an internal party clash over the governor's clemency decision.
Polis commuted the nine-year sentence of Tina Peters, the ex-Mesa County Clerk, last Friday, declaring her original term disproportionate to her crimes. Peters will become eligible for parole on June 1. The move immediately drew fire from Democratic activists and state party leaders who saw it as capitulation to Trump allies.
"Reducing her sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is not justice," the party said in a statement Wednesday. "It sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you're friends with the president."
Peters was convicted in 2024 on four felony and three misdemeanor charges stemming from a breach of county voting systems. She allegedly used someone else's security badge to grant access to an associate of MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, an outspoken election denier. The breach became one of the most visible cases among 2020 election denial prosecutions.
In December, Trump had already symbolically pardoned Peters as part of his sweeping post-election clemency blitz. A state appeals court last month determined her sentence was improper and ordered resentencing, creating an opening for the governor's intervention.
Peters later acknowledged she "made mistakes" and apologized for her involvement in the breach. Her release was a priority for Trump and his circle, who have worked to frame election denial prosecutions as politically motivated.
The censure carries concrete penalties. Polis will be barred from participating as an honored guest, speaker, or officially recognized representative at Colorado Democratic Party functions going forward. The party also issued a broader rebuke, saying Polis' decision "does not reflect the values, institutional positions, or democratic commitments of the Colorado Democratic Party."
Eric Maruyama, Polis' spokesman, defended the decision to NBC News. "He made his decision based on the facts of the case and what he believed was the right thing to do," Maruyama said. "Sometimes the right thing isn't the popular thing with everybody. Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Polis found himself caught between respecting the courts' resentencing order and facing his own party's fury, but siding with Trump on election denial cases was always going to cost him standing with grassroots Democrats."
Comments