Incumbent Coffman says voters have clear choice in 6th CD

Republican Congressman Mike Coffman, up for re-election to a potential second term in November, paints himself as a distinct partisan politician, one unmistakably different from Democratic challenger John Flerlage in Colorado’s 6thDistrict.

Emile Hallez Williams

Mike Coffman

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“This race is not about two Marines campaigning against each other but one where a conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat happen to be running for the same office,” Coffman said in an e-mail to the Courier. “We are polar opposites, and the choice before the voters couldn’t be more clear.”

On social issues, Coffman, who had a lengthy military career, is a strong contrast to Flerlage. His views are in sync with the traditional conservative platform — he does not support same-sex marriage nor abortion rights, and he leaves it at that.

But on economic policy, the two effectively have the same goal, albeit with different routes to boost job growth and eliminate deficit spending. Coffman was an opponent of the federal government’s $787 billion stimulus package, which he said has done nothing to reinvigorate the stagnant economy.

“I have a pro-growth agenda. … I think a lot of the policies put forth by this administration are job killers,” he said. “We cannot tax and spend our way out of this recession,” he added in a statement, explaining his intentions to reduce corporate taxes and do away with “burdensome” regulations.

“The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world,” Coffman said.

During his first term, he created a balanced-budget caucus, the first of its kind, he said, in Congress. He has recently been vocally critical of Congress’ step away from passing a budget before the end of the year.

“I will support every proposal that will significantly reduce the size of government and strip the power of the Congress to spend money that it does not have.”

Coffman, 55, lives in Aurora with his wife, Cynthia. He has a political career stretching back to 1989, when he served in the state House. He was elected to the state Senate in 1994, and also served as the state treasurer from 1999 to 2006 and the secretary of state from 2007 to 2008.

Coffman and Flerlage share a similar view on energy independence, though Coffman notes partiality toward nuclear power and domestically harvested oil among a list of available fuel sources. He also favors increased production of natural gas, specifically for use as a transportation fuel.

“It’s a much cleaner-burning fuel than oil,” he said in an interview. “We have the technology today. We need a better distribution system.”

And though he favored offshore oil drilling, he said, British Petroleum’s catastrophic spill in the Gulf of Mexico has since changed his views, particularly regarding the function of the Minerals Management Service.

“I was a big supporter until ‘the incident’ came up,” he said. “This is a problem that precedes this administration. … The MMS has been a dysfunctional organization for a long time.”

If re-elected, Coffman vows efforts to repeal the nation’s health care overhaul, favoring a system that would cost significantly less than $1 trillion.

“I want to repeal ‘Obama Care’ and replace it with a series of market-based reforms that expand coverage through tax incentives,” he stated, adding “consumer protection” for people with preexisting medical conditions.

And as a former Marine, Coffman has some ideas about how the U.S. should be handling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Support for tribal militias, those that oppose governments viewed as unfriendly toward the U.S., is a better alternative to the current process of nation building, he said, which imposes Western-style democracy on invaded countries.

“I’m the only member of Congress to have served in both the Gulf and Iraq wars,” he said. “All we had to do, I believe, was support those disaffected populations.”

November could be a test, he said, of public support for the Obama administration’s economic policies. If voters want a conservative, they’ll elect him, he said.

“This election will be a referendum on these policies, and I strongly believe that the majority of the people of the 6th Congressional District will reject the Obama agenda at the ballot box.”

The 6th Congressional District includes Elbert and Douglas counties, large portions of Arapahoe and Jefferson counties and a small portion of Park County.

Contact Emile Hallez Williams at emile@evergreenco.com or 303-933-2233, ext. 22. For updates, check www.ColumbineCourier.com.