{"id":130038,"date":"2026-05-20T21:36:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T03:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-democrats-censure-jared-polis-condemning-his-release-of-tina-peters\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:58:15","slug":"colorado-democrats-censure-jared-polis-condemning-his-release-of-tina-peters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-democrats-censure-jared-polis-condemning-his-release-of-tina-peters\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Democrats censure Jared Polis, condemning his release of Tina Peters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Colorado
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis arrives in the House chamber of the Colorado State Capitol to deliver his State of the State address on Jan. 9, 2025, in Denver. (Hyoung Chang\/The Denver Post via AP, Pool, file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Colorado Democratic Party on Wednesday night voted overwhelmingly to censure Gov. Jared Polis, condemning his decision to shorten the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.<\/p>\n

The extraordinary vote by the party\u2019s central committee \u2013 to censure a man who has been the face of the party for most of the last eight years \u2013 was the most significant political fallout yet for Polis after granting clemency to Peters, whose role in an election security breach made her a national poster child of President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to deny the results of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n

The censure was approved with almost 90% of the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a small policy disagreement at all whatsoever,\u201d said Zane Schichtel, a Democrat from Montezuma County. \u201cI think it is a direct rebuke of the principles of accountability and election integrity that uphold our democracy, and as such, we need to treat it for the serious matter that it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the censure, the party will bar Polis from being a featured speaker or honored guest at official Democratic functions. But its real value was symbolic \u2013 a party distancing itself from its governor ahead of the 2026 election, and taking a public stand against leniency for an election denier who was convicted of multiple felonies.<\/p>\n

Polis announced May 15 that he was using his clemency powers to cut Peters\u2019 sentence in half; he also ordered that the 70-year-old be released June 1 on parole.<\/p>\n

The decision was met with glee from the political right, rage from the left and horror from election officials in both parties. County clerks across the state said it would encourage further unfounded conspiracies about voter fraud, and bring additional threats to election workers.<\/p>\n

The backlash has only grown in recent days, with some Democrats now going so far as to call for Polis\u2019 impeachment. Shad Murib, chair of the Democratic Party, said nearly 600 Democrats had signed onto a petition calling for a formal censure.<\/p>\n

Peters was convicted in August 2024 of orchestrating a security breach of her county\u2019s election system. Her offenses included three counts of 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.<\/p>\n

\"In
In this June 30, 2020, file photo, Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters reads an update on the election in Grand Junction. (McKenzie Lange\/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel via AP, File)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The governor\u2019s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the censure. Before the vote, he told CBS4 a censure would be politically motivated.<\/p>\n

In a Tuesday interview with The Colorado Sun, Polis said he didn\u2019t regret his decision \u2013 far from it. He said he believed it would be \u201cremembered fondly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nation needs to have a reconciliation and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the decision has mostly served to inflame political divisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no reconciliation without justice,\u201d central committee member Broderick Greer said during the meeting.<\/p>\n

At The Sun\u2019s annual legislative recap event this week, protesters drowned out a live broadcast of the governor\u2019s interview with profanity-laced chants and said he should be impeached.<\/p>\n

The censure may be as far as state Democrats go to reprimand him. Because Polis issued the commutation two days after the legislative session ended, lawmakers would have to convene a special session to censure him or hold an impeachment vote.<\/p>\n

Much like the party\u2019s censure, a legislative censure would primarily serve as a symbolic reprimand.<\/p>\n

At The Sun\u2019s event, top lawmakers said there was not enough support in the House or Senate to meet the two-thirds threshold to call a special session. Democrats don\u2019t have supermajorities in either chamber, meaning they\u2019d have to get Republican support for a special session.<\/p>\n

Polis wasn\u2019t alone in believing Peters was sentenced too harshly.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Court of Appeals found in April that the nine-year sentence handed down to Peters \u201cwas based in part on improper consideration of her exercise of her right to free speech\u201d \u2013 an argument Polis leaned on to explain his own decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody should be punished for their beliefs, you should be punished for crimes,\u201d Polis said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Only a handful of Democrats voted against the censure, with one saying she outright supported Polis\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the governor made the right decision,\u201d said Ann la Plante, a criminal defense attorney in Greeley, who did not work on the Peters case. \u201cI believe Tina Peters was way too harshly sentenced. I believe the governor made a brave decision \u2013 as unpopular as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that argument fell flat with most of the party\u2019s rank and file, as well as its top elected officials.<\/p>\n

In a statement read before the meeting, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow said the party \u201cmust fight for democracy and the rule of law. We must be consistent, courageous, resolute, and willing to call out our own as they fall short.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a developing story that will be updated<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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