U.S . Army Reserve
What was the military branch of Mike Coffman from 1975 to 1978?
Mike Coffman Michael Harold Coffman ( born March 19 , 1955 ) is an American politician , businessman , and veteran of the U.S . Army and U.S . Marine Corps serving as Mayor of Aurora , Colorado since 2019 . A Republican , Coffman served as the U.S . Representative for for five terms , as well as Secretary of State of Colorado and Colorado State Treasurer . The son of a soldier , Coffman was born in Missouri and moved to Aurora when he was 9 years old . He enlisted in the army himself at age 17 , serving two years before leaving for the reserves to attend college . Coffman received his B.A . from the University of Colorado , while attending special programs at Harvard and the University of Veracruz . After transferring to the Marine Corps Reserve , Coffman founded a property management company in Aurora in 1983 . As a soldier , Coffman served in both the Gulf War and the Iraq War . Coffman was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1988 , being reelected until his appointment to the State Senate in December 1994 . He was then elected as Colorado State Treasurer in 1998 and as Colorado Secretary of State in 2006 . He resigned as Secretary of State when he was elected to the United States Congress , where he served until his defeat for reelection by Jason Crow in 2018 . In 2019 , he was elected to his current post as Mayor of Aurora . Early life , education , and career . Michael Coffman was born on March 19 , 1955 , at 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 , under the G.I . Bill graduating in 1979 with a bachelors degree in political science . In 1994 , he attended the Senior Executive Program at the Harvard Kennedy School . and the University of Veracruz in Mexico . 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 . State politics and military deployments . Colorado Legislature . Coffman began his political career serving as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1989 to 1994 . 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 time he saw combat as a light armored infantry officer . He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon after his first deployment . In 1994 , he retired from the U.S . Marine Corps after 20 years of combined service in the Army , Army Reserve , Marines , and Marine Reserve . In 2006 , Coffman returned to active duty in the Marines where he deployed to Iraq for combat service . Upon return from his deployment , he retired from the Marine Corps once again after a total of 22 years of military service . When State Senator Bill Owens resigned his seat to become state treasurer , the partys vacancy committee named Coffman as the replacement in December 1994 . In 1996 , he was elected unopposed to a full term to the Colorado State Senate . He became the Chairman of the Finance Committee . Colorado Treasurer . 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 . Colorado Secretary of State . During the general election of 2008 , when Coffman was Secretary of State of Colorado , several groups accused the secretary of states office of improperly marking 6,400 voter registration forms as incomplete , because they failed to check a box on the form , required by legislation sponsored by then Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon in 2006 . Coffmans office responded that 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 states 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 , Coffmans successor as secretary of state , replaced Coffman as defendant in the case in January 2009 . U.S . House of Representatives . Elections . - 2008 Coffman announced that he would run for the U.S . House seat being vacated by retiring Republican Tom Tancredo in 2008 in Colorados 6th congressional district . 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 . - 2010 Coffman defeated Democrat John Flerlage 66%–31% . - 2012 In redistricting , Colorados 6th congressional district was made more favorable to Democrats than in previous elections since Aurora was added to the district . Democratic State Representative Joe Miklosi challenged Coffman . Coffman defeated Miklosi 48%–46% , a difference of 6,992 votes . - 2014 Coffman ran for re-election to the U.S . House in 2014 . He won the Republican nomination in the primary election on June 24 , 2014 , unopposed . He faced Democrat Andrew Romanoff in the general election . Coffman won 52%–43% . - 2016 Coffman ran for re-election in 2016 as the Republican nominee against Democratic State Senator Morgan Carroll . He defeated Carroll in the general election , winning 51% of the vote to Carrolls 42% . In July 2016 , the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity announced plans to launch a major advertising campaign opposing Carroll . Coffman subsequently held a public town hall meeting the following April , where he was challenged and often shouted down by residents of his district and others in attendance . Coffmans performance at the town hall and frank discussion with the audience earned praise from KUSA commentator Kyle Clark , who remarked that [ Coffmans ] opponents might not like me saying this , but he is clearly prepared to debate the issues , his positions , and his policies . Coffman also made national news during the town hall , telling the audience that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer needs to go because of his historically inaccurate remarks about the Holocaust . - 2018 Coffmans 2018 Democratic opponent was Jason Crow , an attorney and Iraq War veteran , who beat Levi Tillemann in the primary by a 66 to 34 margin . On July 2 , 2018 , the New York Times ran an article about the fact that a district populated by Somalis , Japanese , Koreans , Latinos , and other minorities has continued to be a scene of frustration and failure for Democrats , who in a series of expensive elections had been unable to unseat Mike Coffman . The Times explained that Coffman had kept winning in part because he has sought to show he embraced the needs of his newer constituents , and had become a renegade Republican on immigration issues . Coffman was trailing Crow in most of the polls in fall of 2018 . The Republican National Congressional Committee confirmed on October 19 , 2018 , that it had pulled the remaining $1 million in television ad spending in an apparent assessment that Coffman was likely to lose . In the November 2018 general election , Crow defeated Coffman with 54.1% to 42.9% of the vote . At a press conference the day after the election , President Donald Trump blamed Coffman for the loss of his seat , as Coffman had distanced himself from the President . He said , On the other hand , you had some who decided to , Lets stay away , lets stay away . They did very poorly . Im not sure whether I should be happy or sad but I feel just fine about it .. . Mike Coffman . Too bad , Mike . Committee assignments . - Committee on Armed Services - Subcommittee on Military Personnel - Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations - Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces - Committee on Veterans Affairs - Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity - Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations - Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Caucus memberships . - Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus ( Chairman ) - Congressional Bike Caucus - Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans - Congressional Coal Caucus - United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus - Natural Gas Caucus - Sportsmens Caucus - Climate Solutions Caucus - Republican Main Street Partnership - Congressional Arts Caucus - Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus - Congressional Western Caucus - Problem Solvers Caucus Mayoralty of Aurora , Colorado . Coffman was defeated for re-election to Congress to by Democrat Jason Crow in 2018 . After leaving Congress , Coffman announced his candidacy for Mayor of Aurora in 2019 . He was elected mayor in November . He took office on December 2 , 2019 . Political positions . For the 114th United States Congress , Coffman was ranked as the 25th most bipartisan member of the U.S . House of Representatives ( and the most bipartisan member of the U.S . House of Representatives from Colorado ) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School . As of September 2018 , Coffman had voted with his party in 91.8% of votes in the 115th United States Congress . Vote Smart Political Courage Test . According to Vote Smarts 2016 analysis , Coffman generally supports pro-life legislation , opposes an income tax increase , opposes federal spending and supports lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth , opposes requiring states to adopt federal education standards , supports building the Keystone Pipeline , supports government funding for the development of renewable energy , opposes the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions , opposes gun-control legislation , supports repealing the Affordable Care Act , opposes same-sex marriage , and supports requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship . Social issues . In early 2014 , Coffman announced that he no longer supported personhood laws . Coffman supports the Supreme Courts decision in Burwell v . Hobby Lobby , allowing closely held for-profit corporations to be exempt from a regulation its owners religiously object to , but supports maintaining access to birth control for women . Coffman supports nationwide reciprocity of concealed weapons permits and opposes universal background checks for gun purchases . He supported the 2012 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act . In 2014 , Coffman co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act , which prohibits discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity . In 2016 , Coffman initially supported but ultimately opposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would provide protections and exemptions to any religious corporation , religious association , religious educational institution , or religious society that receives a federal defense contract . Drug laws . Coffman had a B+ rating from marijuana legalization group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML ) regarding his voting record on cannabis-related matters . He supports allowing veterans access to medical marijuana , if legal in their state , per their Veterans Health Administration doctors recommendation . He also supports allowing cannabis businesses access to banking , medical marijuana research , and industrial hemp farming . In January 2018 , Coffman joined other Colorado congressman in criticizing a memo by Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing his intention to rescind the Obama-era practice of allowing states to make marijuana use legal . Coffman suggested that the memo violated the constitutions commerce clause . “The decision that was made to legalize marijuana in Colorado was made by the voters of Colorado and only applies within the boundaries of our state,” he said . “Colorado had every right to legalize marijuana and I will do everything I can do protect that right against the power of an overreaching federal government.” Donald Trump . Coffman did not endorse Donald Trump , the Republican Partys nominee for U.S . president in 2016 . In August 2016 , he ran an advertisement promising to stand up to Trump . The ad represented the first time a House Republican used explicitly anti-Trump messaging in paid advertising . Coffman also released a version of the commercial which featured him speaking Spanish . He criticized Trump for his attacks on the parents of Captain Humayun Khan . In February 2017 , he voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request ten years of Trumps tax returns , which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session . In April 2017 , Coffman told a town hall crowd he would support legislation that requires the President , Vice President , members of Congress , and all those seeking federal office to publicly release their tax returns prior to an election . Coffman called for the firing of White House National Security Adviser Michael T . Flynn over interactions Flynn had with Russian officials . After Flynn was fired , Coffman said I want to see that transcript to see if there are other conversations that he had is worthwhile finding out , but I also think its important to move on . As of September 2018 , FiveThirtyEight found that Coffman had voted with President Trumps position 96% of the time , and was the fifth-most partisan Trump supporter in the House when compared to his districts voting patterns . Birther conspiracy theories . In May 2012 , Coffman stated that he did not know where President Barack Obama was born . Coffman went on to say of Obama that in his heart , hes not an American . Hes just not an American . Coffman issued an apology several days later , saying that he had misspoken and that he had confidence in President Obamas citizenship and legitimacy as president . In a Denver Post op-ed later that month , Coffman described his comment as inappropriate and boneheaded . Economic issues . Coffman voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , which was a stimulus package intended to save and create jobs , and provide temporary relief programs as a response to the Great Recession . Coffman cited a nonexistent Congressional Budget Office study to justify his vote against the stimulus package . Coffman later claimed that the Congressional Budget Office estimates have been changed or suppressed . He voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 . Regarding his vote , Coffman says I think the economy is going to perform a lot better . He maintained that individuals would benefit greatly from the change in tax brackets and that corporate tax cuts are essential to making them globally competitive . Gun rights . In 2017 , he voted for a bill that would require states to accept concealed-carry permits from other , less-regulated states . He also supported a bill that would reverse an Obama administration rule confiscating guns from people unable to manage their Social Security benefits . At a February 2018 town hall , Coffman said he would consider “reasonable restrictions” on gun rights “within the parameters of the Second Amendment.” He said he would not support an assault-weapons ban , but would allow the temporary confiscation of firearms from persons who represented a threat to themselves or others . Healthcare . Coffman is in favor of a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act ( Obamacare ) . In January 2017 , he voted in support of legislation that began the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) . In May 2017 , Coffman voted against the American Health Care Act of 2017 , a Republican bill which would have partially repealed the ACA . Military and veterans affairs . In 2011 , Coffman proposed a half billion dollars in cuts to military programs such as education reimbursements , the Selective Service and the militarys health plan , TRICARE , saying that the programs have been neglected for a long time . Every dollar wasted is a dollar not going to our war fighters . What they do is important to this country , and we should focus on them . Coffman introduced the Veterans Paralympic Act of 2013 , which funds disabled veterans who want to compete in the Paralympic Games . The bill was signed into law by President Obama in 2013 . In response to a 2013 Gazette report about veterans with mental health conditions , such as post-traumatic stress disorder , being stripped of medical benefits , Coffman sponsored a 2014 amendment that would allow servicemen with mental health issues who were discharged because of misconduct to appeal for medical discharge instead . Coffman introduced the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 , a bill that would alter the relationship between the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses ( RAC ) and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) . Coffman was the first congressman to call for Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki to resign after misconduct at multiple VA facilities was revealed . On May 30 , 2014 , Shinseki resigned as Secretary . In 2016 , Coffman co-sponsored a bill to abolish the Selective Service System . In December 2017 , Coffman and Elizabeth Esty ( D-CT ) introduced H.R . 4635 to “direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of peer-to-peer counselors providing counseling for women veterans.” In March 2018 , Coffman called on President Trump to fire VA Secretary David Shulkin over his travel expenses and other issues . Coffman wrote the president that Shulkin “lacks the moral authority to achieve your goals of a transparent , accountable VA that is dedicated to meeting our nations obligations to the men and women who wore the uniform and made tremendous sacrifices in defense of our freedoms.” Net neutrality . In July 2018 , Coffman supported a congressional bill to reinstate net neutrality rules . Immigration . In August 2014 , Coffman broke ranks with the Republican Party and voted against a bill that would have dismantled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program . In October 2015 , Coffman and Democrat Tammy Duckworth co-sponsored the Military Enlistment Opportunity Act , which would provide undocumented immigrant children an opportunity to serve in the U.S . military and gain a path to citizenship . Coffman opposed President Donald Trumps 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S . to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries , stating : While Ive supported heightened vetting procedures , I have never , nor will I ever support a blanket travel ban , for people solely based on ethnic or religious grounds . In 2017 , Coffman petitioned the House to pass a law protecting DREAMers . In September of that year , however , Representative Bob Goodlatte chairman of the House Judiciary Committee , said he would not act on any such legislation before addressing criminal foreign gangs and border security . Coffman then withdrew his petition , saying , “With all the other things going on right now , its kind of put on the back burner.” He said , though , that he would sign a Democratic petition to force a vote on the DREAM Act . In June 2018 , Coffman said the Trump administration was “heading in the wrong direction” on immigration owing to Stephen Millers role as a presidential advisor . Coffman said that Trump should fire Miller , whom he described as “completely tone deaf when it comes to reforming our immigration system.” Also in June 2018 , he talked to NPR about the separation of illegal immigrants from their children , saying that the White House should “appoint one person solely focused on the reunification issue of these families.” He said he had visited a detention center for children , and found the conditions there to be “pretty good.” Voting rights . In September 2016 , Coffman co-sponsored the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015 , which would restore some protections in the 1965 Voting Rights Act that had been removed by the United States Supreme Court . Personal life . Coffman was married to former Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman . They filed for divorce in June 2017 . Coffman is a United Methodist . External links . - Mike Coffman at On the Issues