Colorado Republicans on Tuesday rejected Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, an election skeptic, for their secretary of state nomination. Peters has been barred by state courts from her role managing elections in the county due to a security breach of voting equipment data. Former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson, who is also a former head of the state’s county clerks’ association, won the Republican nomination in the race.
Anderson defended the state’s vote-by-mail system and the legitimacy of the 2020 results. Without any recent polling in the race, Anderson’s victory is something of an upset, as she was out-fundraised by Peters.
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Peters was one of a series of Republicans to seek the nomination for their state’s top elections role after denying the legitimacy of the 2020 election or circulating false claims about the results, but she was arguably the most controversial of these candidates, as she currently faces criminal charges.
Peters was indicted earlier this year by a grand jury on felony charges including criminal impersonation and identity theft in connection to a 2021 breach of data from Dominion voting machines, which were the subject of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. After conspiracy theorist and election denier Mike Lindell shared data from Mesa County voting machines at an August 2021 event, authorities investigated a link to Peters. The indictment said Peters sneaked someone who was not a county employee into secure areas with a false badge while the machines underwent a routine update, facilitating the breach.
In her campaign, Peters denied breaking any laws and dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Peters was Anderson’s most prominent Republican opponent.
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Anderson will face Democratic nominee Secretary of State Jena Griswold in November.
