District Assembly. Rep. Mike Coffman survives a challenge from a fellow Republican. »
Mike Coffman, a fiveterm Republican congressman, managed to escape a party primary from a challenger who professed loyalty to President Donald Trump.
In a vote Saturday at the 6th Congressional District assembly, Coffman received 76 percent of the votes from the 364 delegates and qualified for the ballot. But rival Roger Edwards took 24 percent — short of the 30 percent needed to secure a place in the June primary.
Coffman downplayed the fractured support among Republicans, saying a similar situation unfolded in previous campaigns — where conservatives have accused him of not being far enough right.
“But then in the general election, the Democrats say, ‘He is too conservative,’” Coffman said in an interview after the vote. “It seems like, at the end, the support consolidates.”
The incumbent is still expected to face stiff opposition from Democrats in a year in which the seat will play a key role in whether Republican can retain control of the House.
Coffman became a target among conservatives for his moderate votes and his frequent criticisms of
Trump. And Edwards channeled the president in pushing to oust Coffman.
In his remarks, Edwards repeatedly invoked Trump’s mantras — about an “America First” immigration policy, draining “the swamp of Washington” and an impeachment movement “supported by 100 percent fake news.”
He offered a blistering criticism of Coffman’s votes, particularly on immi- gration, rejecting the idea that the congressman must sway to moderation to win in a Democratic-leaning district.
“Each time Mike votes that way, conservatism is pushed to the sideline, (and) liberalism, socialism, communism is advanced,” Edwards said.
“Perhaps,” he later added, “if he focused his energy on supporting conservatism, he wouldn’t need to worry about a primary.”
Moments later, Coffman praised Trump for putting together a “great national security team,” specifically touting the president’s selection of Mike Pompeo as U.S. secretary of state and John Bolton as national security adviser.
He also positioned himself as the candidate to keep Democrats from taking back the House, saying they were coming after his seat.
“The path to Nancy Pelosi becoming the next speaker runs through this district,” he told delegates.
James Sutton, a delegate from Aurora, supported Coffman over concerns about keeping his seat red — despite misgivings about some of the congressman’s votes because Coffman is “not a perfect candidate in terms of meeting all of my thoughts.”
“I think he has a proven track record of winning,” Sutton said. “We need someone who is a proven fighter.”
Greg Richards, a delegate from Centennial, wore an Edwards campaign T-shirt and sported a Donald Trump hat he bought in Washington, D.C., or “right in the swamp,” as he called it.
“I’m sick of the spending there,” he said. “They are spending us into the ground. Coffman voted against the last one, which was good, but he voted for all the others before it. I’m done supporting him.”
The outcome came after a lengthy delay because of a problem in how ballots were distributed to delegates, but neither candidate challenged the vote after officials resolved the issue.