Quick Summary: Gonzalezs Praise for Griswold Sparks Criticism Amid Scandal Concerns
- Amanda Gonzalez praised Jena Griswold despite scandals — critics argue this signals continuity rather than change.
- Gonzalez’s praise for Griswold is central to Dick Wadhams’ column — it questions her independence and competence.
- Wadhams highlights Gonzalez’s $7,200 spending on self-promotional materials — calling it image-driven politics.
- Griswold’s tenure marred by data breaches and a missing $25,000 report — these issues are now campaign focal points.
- Gonzalez faces Republican James Wiley in the general election — the race is framed as a test of competence.
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Amanda Gonzalez, the Democratic nominee for Colorado Secretary of State, finds herself at the center of a political storm, largely of her own making. Her recent praise for outgoing Secretary Jena Griswold, despite a series of scandals, has sparked fierce criticism and questions about her suitability as a successor.
In a Colorado Public Radio interview, Gonzalez lauded Griswold’s performance, stating, “I think Jena has done an excellent job.” This statement has become the focus of a sharp critique by Dick Wadhams, who argues that Gonzalez’s stance suggests a lack of independence and a continuation of Griswold’s troubled legacy.
The backdrop to this controversy includes significant breaches of voter data and a missing $25,000 consultant report under Griswold’s watch. These issues have been amplified by Gonzalez’s own actions, such as spending $7,200 on promotional materials featuring her image, which critics claim mirrors the same image-driven politics she defends.
Gonzalez’s candidacy is now being tested not just on ideological grounds but on the ability to effectively manage and reform an office fraught with past missteps. As she faces Republican James Wiley in the upcoming general election, the narrative is increasingly one of competence versus continuity.
The context surrounding that exchange was shaped by late-summer reporting, especially CBS Colorado’s August 14 story about the missing or destroyed $25,000 consultant report and early-September coverage of the 130,000-voter data exposure that revived scrutiny of Griswold’s stewardship. Expect Republicans and outside groups to keep replaying Gonzalez’s exact line — “I think Jena has done an excellent job” — alongside the 130,000-voter-record breach, the nearly statewide password exposure, and the disputed $25,000 report.
A fresh Colorado Politics column published Monday, September 21, 2026, turns Amanda Gonzalez’s own words into the sharpest new line of attack against her, arguing that her praise for Secretary of State Jena Griswold despite a cascade of scandals is the clearest sign yet that a change in name may not mean a change in how the office is run. He points to $7,200 Gonzalez spent as Jefferson County clerk on billboards, social media, and flyers that he describes as “thinly veiled” get-out-the-vote promotions featuring her own photo.
The most important new development is not a new lawsuit or disclosure but Gonzalez’s explicit refusal, in a September 16 Colorado Public Radio interview, to distance herself from Griswold. 1% when the Associated Press called the race.
On September 16, CPR published Gonzalez’s interview in which she praised Griswold and said she wanted to expand county training and support. The surprising part is that the most damaging ammunition did not come from an opposition researcher or a court filing this week; it came from Gonzalez herself in a radio interview five days before Wadhams’ column weaponized it.
It is a referendum on whether Gonzalez, the Jefferson County clerk and Democratic nominee, represents a competent successor or a political heir to a damaged administration. Asked what she would do differently, Gonzalez said, “Yeah.
Wadhams highlights Gonzalez’s $7,200 spending on self-promotional materials — calling it image-driven politics. Griswold’s tenure marred by data breaches and a missing $25,000 report — these issues are now campaign focal points.
These issues have been amplified by Gonzalez’s own actions, such as spending $7,200 on promotional materials featuring her image, which critics claim mirrors the same image-driven politics she defends. He points to $7,200 Gonzalez spent as Jefferson County clerk on billboards, social media, and flyers that he describes as “thinly veiled” get-out-the-vote promotions featuring her own photo.
1% when the Associated Press called the race. On September 16, CPR published Gonzalez’s interview in which she praised Griswold and said she wanted to expand county training and support.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.