( - Promoted by Hestons Ghost - )

The other day a friend of mine was joking that come March, she was going to struggle with only a three-day weekend, instead of the monthly four-day weekends she’s been enjoying thus far. She’s a Colorado state employee whose mandated furlough days have been falling once a month coupled with holidays. For instance, she had the Friday before the MLK Day holiday off and will have the Friday before the President’s Day weekend off.

Most Americans will understand if parks are closed for a day, if the IRS doesn’t answer phone calls for a day, if Congressional staffers don’t send news releases for a day or if the federal courts are closed for a day. It’s called sacrifice and it’s sorely needed. Could you imagine the savings created by dropping the 2% pay increase and furloughing the more than 2.7 million civilian workers? Colorado’s furloughs save the state tens of millions of dollars. Imagine what the federal government could save?

Is Ken Salazar preventing any domestic energy development? Rep. Mike Coffman makes a convincing case that he is:

On February 4th you canceled approved oil and gas leases in Utah, on February 10th you essentially restored the moratoria on the Outer Continental Shelf by unreasonably delaying the 5-year leasing program, on February 25th you stifled the development of oil shale by delaying additional oil shale research, demonstration, and development leases, on July 20th you placed a moratorium on mining in an area containing 40% of our nation’s uranium supply, and since taking office your agency hasn’t  approved a single new solar project even though the Department is facing a backlog of almost 200 applications,” Coffman stated to Salazar.

Coffman pointedly asked, “So we can’t drill onshore, we can’t drill offshore, we can’t develop oil shale, we can’t develop nuclear, and we can’t develop solar.  Mr. Secretary, why won’t you let Americans develop American energy?”  Continuing to press Salazar, Coffman stated, “Can you give me a straight answer?  Can you provide us with dates?”

Whie Rep. Betsy Markey has been doing her best to duck her constituents, Rep. Mike Coffman from neighboring CD-6 introduces a novel concept: a Congressman who isn't afraid to face the people he represents.

         Who:       Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora)

·         What:     Elbert County town hall meeting

·         When:   Thursday, September 3, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.  MT

·         Where:  Elbert County Public Health Building, 75 Ute Ave., Kiowa, CO
                  *The building is located at the North end of the fairgrounds.

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Congressman Mike Coffman spoke to an energetic and engaged Douglas County GOP breakfast club at the monthly meeting in Castle Rock, CO.  A decorated Marine Veteran, Coffman gave attendees an update on a broad range of topics, from America’s military and diplomatic efforts in the Middle East to domestic issues including health care, government spending, and immigration.

Fresh off his factfinding trip to Israel, Coffman cited that nation as an example of how to effectively protect the border.  By contrast, the Congressman saw the inherent problems of an unsecured border in a visit he made to southern Arizona.   Suicide bombing attacks have decreased dramatically since Israel built their fence.

Coffman found in his visit that President Obama is not the toast of Israel.  “If you think that President Obama’s approval ratings are bad here in America, consider Israel: his approval rating there is 6%... Israelis fundamentally distrust Obama because they believe that he will try to force them into another land-for-peace deal...We made budget appropriations to provide funds for Israel’s security fence, and we helped to build security fences in former Yugoslavia, but we seem to lack to the political will to build a fence on our own border.”

Colorado’s 6th Congressional District was represented by Tom Tancredo before Coffman’s election.  Coffman’s pointed views on border security appear to be in sync with the 6th CD’s electorate.  Coffman was elected to Congress by a landslide in 2008. 

 Will Colorado politicians defend the F-22 even though it's a piece of junk because Lockheed is a big Colorado employer?

Probably. There's no integrity on either side of the aisle.

DEMOCRATS LINING UP EARLY TO BE DEFEATED BY MIKE COFFMAN: Two Democrats are already in the running to gain the honor of losing to Mike Coffman in the CD-6 race. Coffman annihilated Democratic candidate Hank Eng in the 2008 election.

KDVR ON THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ENFORCING RITTER'S BAN ON TEXTING AND DRIVING: More nanny state nonsense.

The proposed Army expansion into the Piñon Canyon area has become a hot issue lately. Rep. Mike Coffman has now joined with potential gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis in supporting the Army's attempt to invoke eminent domain to expand into the Piñon Canyon area. Proponents frame it as necessary for our nation's security and functioning of the military while opponents feel it is an abuse of eminent domain rights.

What is your view on the subject?

GOP primary candiates across Colorado are making their final pitches to voters. Here are a few recent television ads:

Wil Armstrong (CD-6)

Mike Coffman (CD-6)

Jeff Crank (CD-5)

Denver metro residents are reporting that they are receiving polling calls from an unknown firm matching up Mike Coffman and Tom Tancredo against Democratic Senator Ken Salazar. The calls are not push polls and also include standard demographic questions.

The real question is who is paying for these polls. This may be either Republican operatives trying to determine if Coffman or Tancredo would be a stronger candidate or it may be Salazar's crew measuring up potential opponents.

Regardless of who is behind the call, Mike Coffman can't be too pleased that someone is already polling his name in the 2010 Senate race given criticisms that he runs for any office that becomes available.

Democrat Ken Gordon continues to maneuver his way towards the Secretary of State's office should Mike Coffman win the CD-6 primary and resign his office prior to the November election. The Rocky Mountain News reports on the latest:

Veteran state lawmaker Ken Gordon will lead the Colorado Election Reform Commission, a new panel that will study voting systems and recommend changes to the state legislature.

Gordon, a Democratic state senator from Denver who is leaving office after 16 years in the General Assembly, sponsored the bill that establishes the commission and has led numerous legislative efforts related to voting issues in recent years.

"A lot of what we're going to do is going to relate to how the 2008 election goes," Gordon said Friday.

"We'll look and see what kinds of problems there are and that will inform what we do."

Republicans are rightfully concerned that Ken Gordon could be a problem during the 2008 election given some of his more "progressive" views on voting (IRV, anyone?). The most perplexing thing to those within the party opposed to Mike Coffman's plan to resign from the SoS should he win the CD-6 primary is his rationale that remaining Secretary of State would constitute a conflict of interest. Why would his position be a conflict of interest only in the general election and not during the primary election or when Coffman's Secretary of State office validated Coffman's congressional primary petitions?

If Coffman is indeed the victor in CD-6 next week, he should at least be consistent and hold on to his position until after the November election.

The Wil Armstrong campaign has released polling data that shows a dead heat with Mike Coffman in the CD-6 Repubican primary:

                        Ballot                          Raw                 %

                        Ted Harvey                 186                  11.0

                        Steve Ward                 141                  8.4

                        Wil Armstrong            548                  32.5

                        Mike Coffman            570                  33.8

                        Undecided                  239                  14.2    

The Armstrong campaign has been enjoying a large media advantage over Coffman thanks to an investment from their candidate and the Coffman campaign has been targetted by a stream of agitated Republican officials over the last few months. This poll had a sample size of 1684 and the exact phrasing is unknown at this time. If accurate, the CD-6 race will hinge on voter turnout so Republican activists should get out there on behalf of their favorite candidate.

In light of Mitt Romney's strong showing the caucuses, this might be the most dramatic endorsement that Wil Armstrong could have announced. Unlike previous endorsements that consisted largely of Republican politicians from outside CD-6, this one could very well have a tangible impact among primary voters.

(BOSTON, MA) – Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today announced his support for congressional candidate Wil Armstrong.  “Washington is broken and Wil Armstrong is the best man to fix it,” said Romney.

    “Wil Armstrong gets my strong endorsement for the Republican nomination in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.  He is best qualified to bring the conservative change we need to Washington and reduce the size and cost of the federal government.

    “Wil Armstrong is a career businessman, not a career politician,” Romney continued.  “It is that real-world experience that Washington so desperately needs today.  He has dealt with complex business situations and forged solutions during both the highs and lows of an unstable economy.

    “For the same reason I decided to enter public service, Wil Armstrong is doing the same.  People who have spent their careers outside Washington creating jobs and running enterprises can bring a unique perspective to Washington.  It is a voice and perspective with which we need to hear more.” 

Speculation is intense that Romney could be named John McCain's running mate in a matter of weeks if not days. It would be interesting to see how that would factor into the race.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Natalie Meyer, the former SoS, blasts Coffman for abandoning the office in the Rocky Mountain News:

The secretary of state is the chief elections officer in Colorado and has a lot of latitude and authority to protect the integrity of our democratic process. This includes interpreting and enforcing existing election law.

For example, Coffman recently declared the three Republican candidates in Jefferson County eligible to run for the legislature, despite an uproar among Democrats who claim that they missed a deadline and should not be allowed to run.

Another example is the one former Secretary of State Gigi Dennis made in 2006 when she interpreted election law to demand that "small-donor committees" get permission from their members before automatically deducting from members' paychecks. Democrats and labor unions sued to reverse her decision.

The secretary of state has a lot of discretion on the enforcement side, too. For example, if a candidate raises illegal amounts of money or raises it from illegal sources, there are consequences. The secretary of state can do anything from sending a harsh letter of admonishment to imposing substantial fines.

Finally, recounts. This is probably the most high-profile aspect of a secretary of state's duties. You don't have to look further than George W. Bush's presidential victory in Florida in 2000, Bob Beauprez's victory for Congress in Colorado in 2002 or even Coffman's own victory for secretary of state in 2006. As widely reported, Republicans and Democrats fought tooth and nail arguing for different legal standards in these close counts.

The Mike Coffman campaign has released polling they commissioned from the Tarrance Group, a respected polling outfit, showing that they are maintaining a wide lead in the upcoming primary. The results are as follows:

Mike Coffman   47%

Wil Armstrong   19%

Ted Harvey         7%

Steve Ward         4%

The Republican Assembly for CD-6 was held today. Both Mike Coffman and Wil Armstrong bypassed today's assembly in favor of petitioning to gain ballot access. This left only Ted Harvey, Steve Ward, and the little-known Pepito Castellanos to compete at the assembly.

Most expected Ted Harvey to dominate the process and hold Steve Ward below the threshold for ballot access. In a surprise result, Ted Harvey barely took a majority of delegates and Steve Ward garnered enough delegates for placement on the primary ballot by a comfortable margin. This is a very bad sign for Ted Harvey's campaign which had been sorely lagging Coffman and Armstrong in polling and money raised and was counting on a strong showing of grassroots support today.

CD- 6 Republican Assembly Results
Ted Harvey -  53%
Steve Ward -  43%
Pepito Castellanos  -  4%

Mike Coffman has become the first candidate in CD-6 to run a television spot.

Here are the first quarter fundraising totals for the CD-6 candidates:

Mike Coffman:   $244,239
Wil Armstrong:  $226,815

This post will be updated with Mike Coffman and Ted Harvey's numbers when they become available.

Update (4/15/08 - 11:11 AM): Mike Coffman's campaign has just reported in a press release raising $244,239, this places Mike Coffman slightly ahead of Wil Armstrong.