Colorado Democrats censure Gov. Jared Polis over commuting election denier’s sentence

Colorado Democrats voted Wednesday to censure Gov. Jared Polis, a fellow Democrat, for commuting the prison sentence of an election denier who had been serving nine years in state prison for tampering with voting systems. “Reducing her sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is not justice,” the Colorado Democratic Party said in a statement. “It sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you’re friends with the president. That’s a dangerous and disappointing precedent to set.” Last Friday, Polis reduced former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ nine-year sentence, saying her term was disproportionate to the crime. Peters will be eligible for parole June 1. The move sparked backlash from state and national Democrats. The Colorado Democratic Party said in its statement Wednesday night that Polis’ clemency decision “does not reflect the values, institutional positions, or democratic commitments of the Colorado Democratic Party.” Peters was convicted in 2024 of four felony and three misdemeanor charges related to a breach of voting systems in the county. She was alleged to have used another person’s security badge to grant access to someone associated with MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a fellow election denier. Peters has since said she “made mistakes” and was sorry for having participated in the breach. Peters’ case had been one of the highest-profile among those of 2020 election deniers, and her release was championed by Trump, who symbolically pardoned her in December. A state appeals court found last month that Peters’ sentence was improper and directed that she be resentenced. Eric Maruyama, a spokesman for Polis, told NBC News in a statement that Polis “made his 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,” Maruyama said. “Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship.” Along with the censure, Polis will not be able to participate as an honored guest, speaker or officially recognized representative of the Colorado Democratic Party at party-sponsored functions, the party’s statement said.