Colorado Governor Is Censured by His Party Over Commutation

The Colorado Democratic Party has censured Gov. Jared Polis over his commutation of the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who amplified President Trump's unfounded claims that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud and who was convicted in 2024 of four felony and three misdemeanor counts in a security breach of voting equipment. The Democratic governor reduced her sentence last week under pressure from Trump, arguing it was excessive. Peters, who denied the validity of the presidential election, will become eligible for parole June 1. About 90% of the state party's roughly 700 Central Committee members voted for censure on Wednesday night, the AP reports.

"Reducing her sentence now, under pressure from Donald Trump, is not justice," the Colorado Democratic Party said in a statement, per NBC News. "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." The censure bars Polis from appearing as an honored guest, speaker, or official representative at party-sponsored events. The governor's office defended his decision, saying it was "the right thing to do," in an emailed statement on Thursday. "Sometimes the right thing isn't the popular thing with everybody. Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship," it said.