Republican Pam Anderson successfully defeated two other candidates, including indicted Mesa County official Tina Peters, in Tuesday’s primary election for secretary of state in a major rebuke against Peters’ denial of the 2020 election.
The Associated Press called the race on behalf of Anderson at about 8 p.m. At the time, Anderson received 45 percent of the vote and Peters 25 percent. Mike O’Donnell, administrator of the nonprofit Yuma County, had 29% of the vote.
Anderson, a former Jefferson County official, will face Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswald, whom Republicans have accused of politicizing the election observation service and business documents.
The Secretary of State race drew national attention as a test of whether Republican voters will embrace the electoral conspiracies backed by Peters, who is running with claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Donald Trump. Peters is accused of crimes in violation of the electoral system of her district, which she allegedly organized.
Anderson, who also heads the Colorado County Employees Association and served as an election consultant, promised to be a non-partisan administrator during the primary election.
“Colorado Republicans have nominated a professional, competent, experienced leader,” Anderson said in response to his victory. “And that’s a big deal. Along the path of the campaign there are people with a clear conscience who have questions (about the elections). We need someone who can answer them and not discredit people. “
Griswald, in response to Anderson’s victory, highlighted its success in various voting reforms, including more ballot boxes and a nationwide ballot tracking system.
“Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or a non-aligned voter, I will defend your right to have your vote heard in the ballot box,” she said in a statement.
Dozens of supporters gathered at Peters’ Wide Open Saloon party in Sedalia when the returns came. When the first results were published – showing that Peters was far behind – supporter Rich Wyatt stood up to gather the crowd.
“Our people have not even voted until today,” he said. “If the vote is rigged, you will see crazy things. Hold on tight. The wind will blow, but we will overcome the storm. “
Peters, who had gathered supporters, refused to accept defeat and said without evidence that the result had been manipulated. She said Colorado voting officials were “cheating” and “converting” the total number of votes.
“This is not the end. Keep the faith,” she said.
Fight with Mesa County clerk Tina Peters on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)
Anderson will face a tough battle against Griswald’s well-funded campaign. The Democrat has raised nearly $ 3 million and has at least $ 1.7 million for television advertising time reserved for the fall
Anderson’s victory comes despite spending $ 124,000 less than Peters, who spent $ 183,000.
In addition to the money for his campaign, Griswald is likely to benefit from $ 603,000 in cash held by the Super PAC Defend Defend Democracy Fund, set up to support the Democratic nominee for secretary of state.
But there will probably be outside groups supporting Anderson.
During the primary, Defend Colorado spent nearly $ 495,000 on digital ads in support of Anderson and against Peters and Griswald. Citizens spent more than $ 99,000 on television commercials opposing Anderson for the integrity of the election.
Peters was one of several Republican candidates for secretary of state across the country who accepted false allegations that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by former President Donald Trump. She spent campaign money to visit Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in May, and in April ran a fundraising campaign starring Mike Lindell, MyPillow’s chief executive, who widely promoted election conspiracies. On Friday, she attended a Grand Junction event featuring Lindell and other election deniers.
In March, the Mesa County Grand Jury charged Peters with alleged violations of her county’s electoral system, accusing her of seven crimes, including attempting to influence a government official and criminal representation of another person, and three crimes. The allegations did not prevent Peters, who denied the wrongdoing, from running for office.
GOP President Christy Burton Brown and others called on Peters to drop out of the race following her accusation by a grand jury in March.
O’Donnell guarded against whether the 2020 election was stolen, instead focusing on what he said were voter registration problems and emphasizing the service’s work with business.
Sun Staff writer John Ingold contributed to this story from Sedalia. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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