Republican secretary of state candidate Pam Anderson responded to Monday’s announcement that Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is entering the GOP primary for the seat with a call for a “return to professionalism” in the office and a vow to serve as a “fair referee” overseeing Colorado’s elections.

Anderson, a former two-term Jefferson County clerk and past executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, has pushed back against unfounded claims made by Peters and others that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Donald Trump. Anderson has also criticized Democrat Jena Griswold, the incumbent secretary of state who is seeking a second term, for taking a partisan approach to election controversies that have landed the office at the center of disputes over voting and election procedures.

Peters launched her campaign Monday in an appearance on former Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s podcast, where she said she intends to “put people over political theater and prioritize them over politics.” Peters is the target of multiple criminal investigations by state and federal authorities into allegations she helped facilitate a voting equipment security breach last summer that led to system passwords and software being posted online.

“I believe that secretary of state is the most important race in Colorado,” Anderson said in a written statement. “The contrast for voters for both the primary and the general has never been more clear. In talking to voters, they say they want a return to professionalism and this office to leave behind the hyper-partisanship and drama they’ve seen over the past few years.”

Anderson went on to suggest that “inexperienced and irresponsible politicians” are sullying the office’s reputation.

“Coloradans continue to see what happens when these important positions are held by inexperienced and irresponsible politicians in pursuit of divisive and partisan ideological agendas,” she said. “This office should be filled by a trusted and proven professional, not by politicians only interested in using it as a political football. I believe in the oath I took three times as an experienced election official to uphold the U.S. Constitution, Colorado Constitution, and all the laws of Colorado. I will be a fair referee – not fuel the fire of mistrust. It is time to restore Colorado’s tradition of professional and non-partisan leadership in the Secretary of State’s Office.”

Anderson didn’t identify Peters by name in the statement, but a campaign spokeswoman confirmed that Anderson’s comments were spurred by Peters’s entry into the race.

Also on Monday, Anderson announced that she won an endorsement from Griswold’s predecessor, former Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams, who was appointed by Mesa County commissioners to supervise the county’s off-year election last fall after a judge removed Peters from her oversight role in a ruling that found Peters had breached her duties as the county’s top election official.  

Griswold, an attorney, unseated Williams in 2018 by an 8-point margin. She’s the first Democratic woman to hold the office and the first Democrat to win election as secretary of state since 1960.

Griswold denounced Peters and her candidacy earlier Monday.

“Colorado needs a Secretary of State who will uphold the will of the people; not one who embraces conspiracies and risks Coloradans’ right to vote,” Griswold said in a statement.

“As secretary of state, I am proud of my work to protect the right to vote for all eligible Coloradans. While overseeing four successful elections, I expanded voter access and maintained our gold standard in election security. I am excited to continue my work to ensure that every eligible voter – Republican, Democrat, and unaffiliated alike- has access to safe and secure elections.”

Last week, Peters was arrested by Grand Junction police on misdemeanor obstruction charges stemming from a scuffle with officers who were attempting to serve a search warrant while investigating allegations Peters defied a judge by recording courtroom proceedings on a tablet computer. Peters is also facing multiple complaints charging she violated state ethics law by accepting gifts above a constitutional limit.

Peters has denied she broke any laws, arguing that she was taking necessary steps to preserve election records. Through her attorney, she’s also denied she violated Colorado’s gift ban.

Two other Republicans are also seeking the nomination to challenge Griswold – first-time candidates David Winney and Mike O’Donnell.

Colorado’s primary election is June 28.