State Democratic Party censures governor after he commutes Peters' sentence
The central committee of the Colorado Democratic Party on Wednesday voted 89.8% in favor of a measure to censure Gov. Jared Polis.
Updated on: May 21, 2026 / 12:18 AM EDT / CBS Colorado
Polis said earlier that the petition by hundreds of Democrats that called for the action is politically motivated. The petition is in response to Polis' decision to commute the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. The judge gave her nearly 9 years for her role in tampering with election equipment to prove unsubstantiated claims of fraud.
Polis cut the sentence in half. Peters could be paroled as early as June 1.
"My goal is to make the right decision with the information I have and that's exactly what I did in this case," Polis said. "I think the fact this has seemingly become so partisan shows the problem with this case, frankly. No case should be viewed from a partisan lens. Each case is about an individual and the crime they committed."
The governor says he looked at other cases of corruption by public officials and none of them had sentences as steep as Peters.