Mike Coffman works for student endorsement
Mike Coffman hopes that CU students concerned with issues like voter fraud and Colorado commerce will make him their pick as the next Colorado secretary of state.
Currently serving as state treasurer, Coffman, a CU alumnus, is in the running to be the next secretary of state.
“CU jumpstarted my education and my career,” said Coffman, who lived in Williams Village as a freshman. He attended CU on the G.I. Bill as a political science major and was also enlisted in the Army. “I truly enjoyed my time at CU,” he said.
Coffman graduated from CU in 1979 and later continued his education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he completed the Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government in 1995.
Coffman’s says his fervor for education and eagerness to help those in need have led him to his prominent spot in the Legislature.
In 1998, Coffman was elected to serve as Colorado’s 40th state treasurer. He was re-elected in 2002. As an experienced treasurer, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and a small-business owner for more than 17 years, Coffman has an interest in money and finance. If elected, one of his obligations would be overseeing and enhancing commerce in Colorado.
Coffman also wants to ensure the integrity of future Colorado elections. He stressed his main goal of launching an immediate investigation into the accuracy of voting machines here in Colorado, a topic he said has “left a question mark in the public eye.” His goal is to accurately account for every voter and each vote.
Coffman also plans to improve the voter registration process in an effort to eliminate voter fraud.
“I find it odd that to purchase alcohol or cigarettes you need an ID, but to vote you don’t.” Coffman said. He anticipates that ratifying the system will have a direct effect on the eradication of voter fraud.
Alongside fulfilling his duties as the state treasurer, Coffman’s agenda this year included helping improve Iraq’s legislature.
“My duty was to help in parts of Iraq in which security challenges were questionable,” he said. “I feel that if I can put together an election in Iraq, I can run the elections in the state of Colorado.”
Before campaigning for secretary of state, Coffman was one of the candidates in the gubernatorial race for governor. Coffman stepped down when he found out Republican candidate Bob Beauprez was running.
“I felt that Beauprez would be a better candidate,” Coffman said. “I wouldn’t want to run against him.”
Coffman has visited Boulder throughout his campaign and anticipates visiting the CU campus and students after the November elections.
