Colorado’s Democratic Party formally censured Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday over his decision to grant clemency to a person convicted in connection with the 2020 election denial movement. The rare intraparty rebuke reflected deep divisions within the state party over Polis’s use of executive clemency powers.
Party leaders said the clemency undermined accountability for efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Polis defended the decision, saying it was based on individual circumstances reviewed through the normal clemency process. He has not identified the recipient in detail publicly.
The censure is largely symbolic and does not affect Polis’s ability to govern. However, it signals friction between the governor and grassroots activists who prioritize election integrity. Colorado has been a focal point for election-related prosecutions following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Polis, a libertarian-leaning Democrat, has occasionally broken with party orthodoxy on fiscal and regulatory issues. State party officials said the censure vote passed during a central committee meeting. Polis’s office said he remains focused on delivering for Coloradans and would continue to exercise clemency authority when warranted by the facts of each case.
Colorado Democrats said the censure sends a message that election denial cannot be normalized through executive clemency. Polis is serving his second term and is not eligible to run again under state term limits, limiting the immediate political consequences of the party rebuke.
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Sources:
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/22/headlines