Secretary of State Jena Griswold sent another letter to Governor Jared Polis on January 13 urging him not to grant clemency to Tina Peters. Jackson County Clerk Hayle Johnson and Colorado County Clerks Association Executive Director Matt Crane also signed. The timing—one day before Peters’ Court of Appeals hearing and five months before Griswold’s Attorney General primary—reveals the political calculation driving the correspondence.
Griswold announced her Attorney General campaign in April 2025 Her entire brand centers on “standing up to Donald Trump to protect our rights and freedoms.” The primary occurs June 30, 2026.
Peters represents Griswold’s perfect political foil. She led the investigation into Peters as Secretary of State. Her campaign depends on maintaining that hardline stance without compromise.
Then Polis created a problem. In a CBS Colorado interview, he called Peters’ nine-year sentence “harsh” and said he considers clemency applications for elderly inmates individually. The statement represented a dramatic shift from November when his Department of Corrections rejected the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ request to transfer Peters to federal custody.
The letter argues clemency would “validate her actions and embolden election denialism” and send the message that election attackers “may have immunity.” It claims Peters “has taken no responsibility for her actions and has shown no remorse.” The language accuses Polis of “caving into the demands of a vengeful President.”
Johnson and Crane’s signatures provide bipartisan legitimacy. Johnson, a five-term Republican clerk from Jackson County, became CCCA president in January 2025. Crane, a former Republican clerk, serves as CCCA executive director.
This marks another chapter in Griswold’s pattern of public letters whenever the Peters case advances. Each letter reinforces her campaign brand. Each demonstrates to primary voters that she remains the toughest Trump opponent in the race. Each uses Peters as political currency.
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