Face The State Staff Report
If he resigns his post within the next 12 days, Secretary of State Mike Coffman has a chance to save his statewide office from being taken over by a Democrat appointee. But there is disagreement among Republicans about whether or not he should step down.
Coffman on Primary election nightFTS Staff Photo
Republicans have held the Secretary of State's office since 1963, but as Rocky Mountain News editorial page editor Vincent Carroll points out, should Coffman be elected - a near certainty in the heavily GOP 6th Congressional District - “he will turn over his office keys to a Democrat appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter.”
Former Coffman employee and GOP activist Dan Kopelman thinks his former boss should resign and give the GOP a chance to run someone else for the post. “I think we need the opportunity for a Republican to stay as one of the state’s top elected officials,” he said.
According to Colorado law, if a vacancy occurs for a statewide office no later than 68 day before the general election, but after the primary, then the post shall be added to the ballot for the upcoming general election. There are 80 days left for the November 4th General Election, meaning Coffman has 12 days to resign before this option expires. If he chooses to do so, Ritter would then appoint someone to take his place, while state party vacancy committees would select candidates to run for the unfilled post this November.
The key point of debate: Even if a Republican wins this November, a Ritter appointee, likely to be a Democrat, would serve until the new Secretary of State would be sworn in next January. With up to 19 potential ballot issues and a continuing controversy over electronic voting machines, could Republicans lose out to political considerations should a Democrat hold the spot?
Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams is concerned about this type of scenario and has urged Coffman not to resign. “We have so much at stake in 2008 that we need a Republican to be in that office to guard against any Democrat attempts to steal the election,” he said.
Wadhams acknowledged that Ritter will appoint a Democrat to serve for the next two years after Coffman is elected to Congress, but he says the Republicans will “deal with that in 2010.” SoS spokesman Rich Coolidge said he has not heard of any plans for Coffman to resign. “He is committed implementing some of the policies he has set forth as SoS,” he said.
Coffman was elected as Secretary of State in 2006, and less than two years later announced he would run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Republican Tom Tancredo. After competing in a four-way Republican primary, Coffman won the nomination with 40 percent of the vote Tuesday.