Anyone who thought Gov. Jared Polis would try to make nice with fellow Democrats in the last five months of his lame-duck term would be wrong.
Polis was censured and cast into political Siberia by his party after he commuted former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ prison sentence in May. Instead of digging out, he’s doubling down by criticizing socialism.
The drama began earlier this month when Polis took to Facebook to comment on a New York Times story about speculation that the Trump administration was considering acquiring stakes in artificial intelligence companies after acquiring equity in other private companies.
“This is why socialism is dangerous. When government owns part or all of private companies, government is no longer just setting the rules — it becomes a player in the game and sets the rules to its own advantage and against the people,” Polis wrote.
The governor’s Democratic critics however viewed his anti-socialism comments as a jab at democratic socialists like Melat Kiros, who unseated 15-term U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette last month in the 1st Congressional District.
State Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins Democrat, accused Polis of being scared of democratic socialists because of their success and because it could mean he has to pay more in taxes. (Polis is uber wealthy.)
“The governor is attempting to discredit a new wave of leadership that is demanding people like him pay their fair share,” said Zokaie, who accused Polis of borrowing a page from far-right Republicans by “fear mongering” about socialism.
Polis responded to Zokaie on X last week: “I’m not scared of anyone. I just care deeply about our state and don’t want the socialists to destroy it.”
The governor told The Colorado Sun in an interview this week that he brought up the topic because he had always believed that capitalism is the driver of economic growth which helps pay for safety net programs, like universal healthcare, that he supports. He said he’s concerned about socialism coming from any direction, though he downplayed the issue in the Democratic Party, saying there’s maybe four or five socialists who call themselves Democrats.
He said the “real threat” was coming from the Trump administration buying shares in companies.
“The concentration of political and economic power together is extremely dangerous,” he said Tuesday in a short impromptu interview after he spoke to researchers and companies at a conference at the Colorado School of Mines promoting the state as a place to develop fusion energy.
But conservative news outlets have also jumped on Polis’ criticism of socialism and used it to attack fellow Democrats. And he’s played along, making appearances on national television networks, including Fox News and Newsmax, serving up talking points for commentators seeking to undermine Kiros’ campaign. Asked how he would “stop the surge” of socialists within his party, Polis told Newsmax, “well, I think you need to talk about how socialism has failed.”
“And I think when you talk to Democrats — and I’m a proud Democrat, and you read part of my statement on that, I support universal healthcare, right? I support a strong social safety net, and there may be conservatives that disagree or agree with some of those things.
“I think the only way to accomplish those, and history has proven this, is through capitalism and the free market system, and the prosperity that it creates.”
There’s some speculation that in arguing against socialism Polis may be looking for a political lane toward higher office. While he has not publicly expressed any interest in running for president, political watchers note that it might be strategic for candidates to zig while an increasing number of political candidates follow the zagging momentum of New York mayor and recently minted socialist icon Zohran Mamdani.
“’The Democrat who took on the socialists’ is a pretty distinct lane right now,” said Kyle Saunders, a political science professor at Colorado State University, noting that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro are also eyeing the political strategy. However, he noted there’s a risk to taking that approach, at least in primaries, since polling has generally shown Democratic voters view socialism about as favorably as capitalism.
Saunders pointed out that Polis, a libertarian-leaning, free-market Democrat who has floated getting rid of the state’s income tax, actually believes what he’s saying about socialism. So pushing back against socialism is also defending his own legacy as the state party moves to the left, he said.
But when the messenger happens to be one of the richest people in the state, Saunders said it’s easy for opponents, like Zokaie, to fight back.
But even one of his former staffers believes now is not the time for him, at least, to pick this fight.
Alvina Vasquez, a Democratic strategist in Colorado who was the political director of Polis’ 2018 campaign for governor, said people voted the way they did because they’re not happy with the current system. She doesn’t see a benefit to stirring up a debate about socialism when Democrats need to focus on fighting President Donald Trump.
“Sowing doubt or division among people who do want safe communities and an economy that works for everyone is not the way to get there,” she said.
Colorado Sun public policy editor Justin George and staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
