Colorado Democrats condemn Polis for Tina Peters clemency amid Trump pressure

Colorado Democrats censured Gov. Jared Polis after he commuted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’s sentence in a 2021 voting-equipment breach case, arguing the move—perceived as influenced by Donald Trump—undermines accountability for election tampering and damages the party’s credibility. Peters’ sentence was reduced from eight years and three months to four years and four-and-a-half months while the underlying conviction remains; Polis defended the decision as based on the case’s facts. The clemency action was part of Polis’s broader grant of 44 clemencies, and Democrats, including Secretary of State Griswold, condemned it and barred Polis from some party events.