Mike Coffman

Michael "Mike" Coffman (born March 19, 1955) is the U.S. Representative for CO's 6th congressional district, serving since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the Secretary of State of Colorado (2007–2009) and the Colorado State Treasurer (1999–2005 & 2006–2007).

Early life, education, and business career
Michael Coffman was born on March 19, 1955 in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to Harold and Dorothy Coffman, and is one of five children. His father served in the United States Army at Fort Leonard Wood, and after 1964, at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado.

In 1972, Coffman enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to a mechanized infantry battalion. The following year, he earned a high school diploma through an army program. Leaving active duty for the U.S. Army Reserve in 1974, he entered the University of Colorado, graduating in 1979. He also studied at Vaishnav College in Chennai, India, and the University of Veracruz in Mexico for a year. Upon graduation from the University of Colorado, Coffman transferred from the Army Reserve to the United States Marine Corps in 1979, becoming an infantry officer. In 1983, he transferred from active duty to the Marine Reserves, serving until 1994. In 1983, he created an Aurora, Colorado-based property management firm, serving as senior shareholder until 2000.

Legislature
Coffman began his political career serving as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. Shortly after winning re-election in 1990, he took an unpaid leave-of-absence from the statehouse during his active duty service in the Persian Gulf War, during which he saw combat as a light armored infantry officer. In 1994, he retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after 20 years of combined service to the army, army reserve, marines, and marine reserve. When State Senator Bill Owens resigned his seat to become state treasurer, the party's vacancy committee named Coffman the replacement in December 1994. In 1996, he was elected to a full term to the Colorado State Senate unopposed. He became the Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Statewide offices
In 1998, Coffman was elected as State Treasurer of Colorado with 51% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Jim Polsfut. In 2002, he was re-elected with 56%, defeating Democratic State Senator Terry Phillips.

He resigned from that post in 2005 in order to resume his career in the U.S. Marines, and serve in the War in Iraq, where he helped support the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, which oversaw two national elections, and helped establish interim local governments in the western Euphrates Valley. In 2006, he completed his duty in Iraq and was re-appointed as State Treasurer. He served that position for only a few months because in November 2006, he was elected Colorado Secretary of State with 51% of the vote, defeating Democratic State Senator and Minority Leader Ken Gordon.

Elections

 * 2008

Coffman announced that he would run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by retiring Republican Tom Tancredo in 2008 in Colorado's 6th congressional district. The seat is considered to be the most Republican-dominated district of the Denver-area seats and is also one of the wealthiest in the nation. Three other candidates decided to run in the Republican primary for the open seat: Wil Armstrong (son of former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong), State Senator Ted Harvey, and State Senator Steve Ward. Coffman won the August primary with a plurality of 40% of the vote, beating runner-up Wil Armstrong by seven points.

During the general election, several groups accused the secretary of state's office of improperly marking 6,400 voter registration forms as incomplete, because they failed to check a box on the form. Incomplete registrations require voters to either re-register or provide extra identification when they go to vote. Soon after the accusations were made, Common Cause filed suit against Coffman, in his official capacity as secretary of state. The secretary of state's office denied wrongdoing, and Coffman said he believes his office was correctly applying the law. On October 30, 2008, the court approved a preliminary injunction allowing purged voters to participate in the 2008 election. Bernie Buescher, Coffman's successor as secretary of state, replaced Coffman as defendant in the case in January 2009. The bulk of the litigation was settled in January 2010 after changes to Colorado's election regulations, and the remaining portions were decided in January 2011.

The Denver Post endorsed Coffman on October 10, 2008. In November, Coffman defeated Democrat Hank Eng, an Appleton, Wisconsin City Common Councilman, 61%-39%. Governor Bill Ritter designated State Representative Bernie Buescher, a Democrat, to succeed Coffman as Secretary of State.


 * 2010

Coffman defeated Democrat John Flerlage 66%-31%.


 * 2012

In redistricting, Colorado's 6th congressional district was made more favorable to Democrats than previously: its population was evenly split between Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters. In fact, Barack Obama was projected to have gotten 54% in Coffman's district in 2008, which is in line with the statewide results. Aurora was added to the district.

Democratic State Representative Joe Miklosi decided to challenge Coffman. During a campaign fundraiser in Elbert County on May 12, 2012, Coffman expressed doubt that President Barack Obama had been born in the United States and declared that: "I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that. But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American." Coffman later apologized saying that he had "misspoken". In September 2012, Coffman said that he had a "fundamental concern" that President Obama would use the military to aid his re-election bid in an attempted October surprise conspiracy.

Coffman defeated Miklosi 48%-46%, a difference of 6,992 votes. At the same time, Obama defeated Romney in the district 52%-47%. Miklosi won the Arapahoe County part of the district 48%-45%. Coffman made up the deficit by winning Adams County 46%-45% and Douglas County 60%-35%.

Tenure
In 2011, Coffman proposed a half billion dollars in cuts to military programs such as education reimbursements, the Selective Service and the military's health plan, TRICARE. Coffman stated, "I think they (the programs) have been neglected for a long time. Every dollar wasted is a dollar not going to our war fighters."

Coffman is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
 * Taxes

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Military Personnel
 * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
 * Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
 * Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
 * Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
 * Committee on Small Business
 * Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access
 * Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
 * Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations (Chairman)

Caucus memberships

 * Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus (Chairman)
 * Congressional Bike Caucus
 * Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
 * Congressional Coal Caucus
 * International Conservation Caucus
 * Natural Gas Caucus
 * Republican Study Committee
 * Sportsmen's Caucus

Personal life
Coffman's wife, Cynthia Coffman, is currently Chief Deputy Attorney General in the office of Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, and was previously Chief Counsel in the office of then-Governor Bill Owens.

Coffman is a Methodist.