Hello all! I've had a busy past few weeks with moving back to college and having nothing but daily track practices, so this feature took a minor pause. Since we are only in January of 2013, we have a ways to go so I won't rush this; but don't expect weekly updates either.
Before we get into the next chapter, I just want to preface this post with a bit of information. Yes, Michele Bachmann will likely be re-elected in 2014 and in the unlikely event she does; it would be hard press to retain a seat in such a red district. However, her seat isn't like Eric Cantor's or Virginia Foxx's in terms of "there is an absolute 0% chance she's going to lose" but she hovers just slightly above that range.
Also, this feature really will focus on a lot of winnable races in D-friendly or just slightly R-friendly seats. A lot of the incumbents we are pining to replace will likely be Congresspeople with low name recognition and low controversy.
With all that being said, I'm not trying to douse you all with cold water. But I would be okay with making a more comprehensive goal list for us. From now on I'll include a bevy of links that I find to be useful such as websites for potential candidates and local Democratic chapters. I'm even considering throwing a bit of attention to State Senate races as our goal should always be to keep Democrats elected.
So now that we got that out of the way, let me introduce you to Mike Coffman, the representative for Colorado's Sixth District.
Now Mike Coffman does not have the notoriety of Michele Bachmann at all. In fact, I'm willing to bet that he might be a little bit off some of the non-election followers radars. However, if we want to win the House; we will likely need to get this seat in a district that encompasses Littleton and portions of Aurora.
Let's introduce (or re-introduce) Rep. Mike Coffman.
Legislation:
-Advocated for the cutting of TRICARE.
Headlines:
-Signer of the Grover Norquist pledge.
-Flirted with birtherism, as this was his quote when asked (in 2012 mind you) about the citizenship of Barack Obama.
“I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don’t know that, but I do know this, that in his heart, he’s not an American. He’s just not an American.
-When "apologizing" for his birther comments,
Coffman had this little nugget to say.
“[Issues are] going to determine this election, not focusing on the birther question. God bless people that do that. I understand their passion.”
-When he wasn't engaging in birther-related conspiracies, Coffman was touting his own zany conspiracies when talking about a
potential "October surprise".
Mind you this was all only in his second term as a Representative.
Electoral History:
2008: Coffman (R): 60.67%, Hank Eng (D): 39.33%
2010: Coffman (R): 65.67%, John Flerlage (D): 31.46%
2012: Coffman (R): 47.8%, Joe Miklosi (D): 45.8%,
As you can tell, redistricting made this race a lot tougher than it previously was as well as Coffman's own foot-in-the-mouth comments.
Cook PVI:
D+1
Prospects:
I would say it's rather unlikely Joe Miklosi takes the plunge again considering he wasn't able to squeak out a race that should've been very winnable.
My perfect candidate, in terms of who I would back, is Colorado State Sen. Morgan Carroll. Carroll, who was elected to the Senate in 2008, would likely have little trouble raising money thanks to her status as Senate Majority Leader, a position she was just appointed to. Carroll has emerged as a rising star in Colorado politics and i think she would be the ideal non-DC candidate to take down Coffman. At only 41 years old, she has a bright political future.
However as of late, a new name has emerged and that's the name of Andrew Romanoff, the failed 2010 candidate for the Democratic nomination. Romanoff, a former Colorado House Speaker, likely has some good name recognition so it would be interesting to see what happens if he announces a run.
Why We Can Do This:
This district is a lot more favorable to Democrats and a race we should win, even if it's not a complete wave year. This race will likely always be a close one given how it's about as "swing-y" of a district as there can be. Nonetheless, if we can win in 2014 then maybe we can keep winning this seat until 2020 when gerrymandering comes back into focus.
Links You Oughta Check Out:
Official Website For Morgan Carroll
Official Twitter For Morgan Carroll
Facebook Page For Morgan Carroll
Andrew Romanoff Twitter
Andrew Romanoff Facebook
DONATE To The Colorado Democratic Party