GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — After District Attorney Dan Rubenstein indicted Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley on March 8, Colorado GOP Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown, Vice Chairwoman Priscilla Rahn, and Secretary Marilyn Harris released a statement calling for Peters to suspend her campaign for Secretary of State.

The statement reads: “It is our belief, as leaders of the Colorado Republican Party, that any Republican candidate who is indicted with felonies by a grand jury and who will be charged by a Republican District Attorney should suspend their campaign while they undergo the legal challenges associated with those indictments. The Republican Party is the Party of law and order and we need every Republican voter focused on getting Republicans and constitutional conservatives elected across Colorado in 2022. Today, we are asking Clerk Peters to consider what is best for the Republican Party in Colorado and act accordingly as she avails herself of our judicial system.”

Peters announced her intention to run for Secretary of State in the 2022 election in February, removing herself from being able to run for re-election for Mesa County Clerk and Recorder. Current Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Peters’ opponent in the upcoming election, also released a statement after the indictment became public.

“Every eligible Coloradan – Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated alike – has the right to make their voice heard in safe, accessible, and secure elections. To do that, we need election administrators who are committed to following the law and election rules. Officials tasked with carrying out elections do so in public trust and must be held accountable when they abuse their power or position,” said Secretary Jena Griswold.