Colorado’s justice system has spoken with clarity and authority. In August 2024, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was convicted by a 12-member jury of her peers on seven counts – including four felonies – with unanimous verdicts on every count. In October 2024, Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced Peters to nine years in prison, beginning immediately at Pueblo’s La Vista Correctional Facility. She is now more than two years into that sentence.
Bucking his annual tradition, Gov. Jared Polis issued no pardons or commutations in 2025 and on Jan. 2 publicly confirmed he had no timeline for considering clemency. Yet, less than a week later, on Jan. 8, he told CBS Colorado he was “looking at” Peters’ sentence, calling it “harsh” and suggesting her age and health might warrant reconsideration. This sudden shift – weeks after elected officials, prosecutors, and clerks urged him not to intervene – raises serious questions. Age alone does not excuse repeated disregard for the law, nor mitigate the danger Peters poses.
Judge Barrett left no doubt about her threat to the community:
“Your lies are well documented, and these convictions are serious. I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could. You’re as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen.”
He further noted that Peters, while lacking a long history of drug or alcohol abuse, trauma, or prior convictions, was privileged and deliberate in her misconduct: “To the contrary, Ms. Peters, you are a privileged person … you use that privilege to obtain power, a following, and fame.” Peters’ actions were calculated, including unauthorized access to state voting machines, criminal impersonation, and using security badges to allow outsiders into election systems – all aimed at undermining Colorado’s democratic process. She has repeatedly denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
Peters is eligible for parole in 2028 – and possibly sooner with good behavior credits – but that is no reason for clemency. She must remain in the Department of Corrections, serve her full sentence, and face the consequences of her actions. As Judge Barrett emphasized, Peters “abused her position and … used that privilege to obtain power … from which she can preach these lies, undermining the democratic process and confidence in our election systems.”
Gov. Polis must stand firm. In 2024, he granted clemency to individuals with histories of abuse, trauma, and long-past convictions, demonstrating careful, principled use of this power. Tina Peters, by contrast, is privileged, manipulative, and remains a threat to society. There is no justification for treating her case as an exception. Morally, it would be wrong to grant clemency. Doing so would reward misconduct, undermine our justice system, and signal that calculated attacks on democracy carry no consequences.
President Donald Trump continues to act as a bully. He called Gov. Polis “the Scumbag Governor,” adding, “FREE TINA PETTERS!” He targets Colorado with funding cuts, relocating U.S. Space Command, vetoing the bipartisan Arkansas Conduit pipeline, rejecting disaster relief for rural counties hit by floods and wildfires, and attempting to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research – all because Coloradans voted against him in three successive elections, temporarily blocked him from the 2024 ballot, upheld fair, legal mail-in voting, and refused to free Tina Peters.
What are Polis’ motivations for considering clemency – saying “uncle?” Trump’s pressure on Colorado is intense and harms Polis’s constituents. Yet the president’s actions are largely coercion. Are Rep. Boebert and her allies pressing the governor to act? We do not know. What is clear is that the real responsibility lies with Boebert, Hurd, and House leadership to navigate Congress, overturn vetoes, and stop Trump’s retribution. Polis’s role is to uphold Colorado law, defend the Mesa County jury’s unanimous verdict, and ensure justice is served – not to capitulate to a White House bully.
Judge Barrett was explicit: Peters is a danger to society, a privileged individual who craves the limelight, and a threat to the public trust. She has repeatedly lied, flouted court orders, and manipulated her office to promote false claims of election fraud. Any clemency now would reward wrongdoing, embolden Trump, and undermine Colorado’s judicial system.
Tina Peters is neither a victim nor a hero. She is guilty, dangerous, and must serve her full sentence. Parole eligibility in 2028 remains the proper avenue, not early release. Gov. Polis must stand up to the bully in the White House, and Coloradans must stand with him.
