Coffman campaign e-mail jumps the gun

With the final votes in the Republican 6th Congressional District race yet to be cast, Mike Coffman’s campaign is already looking forward – and possibly getting itself into a spot of trouble.

Last week, a Coffman campaign staffer sent out an e-mail to supporters encouraging them to help out on last-minute get-out-the-vote duties like neighborhood walks and “honk and waves” on street corners. And – a tad presumptively since Coffman faces three strong challengers in the primary and the winner of that will face another test in the general election – the e-mail says the volunteers would likely be working for the next Congressman for the district.

“Should this be the case, internships will be immediately available with the strong potential of earning a job in Mike's Congressional office,” the e-mail, from campaign staffer Jeff Small, says. “Mike has said he will give first priority to those who work hard with him in the trenches, and now is your chance to show him what you've got!”

The problem is it is illegal for a candidate to solicit political support in exchange for the promise of a government job.

Dustin Zvonek, Coffman’s campaign manager, said at first last week that he wasn’t aware of the e-mail and said he would have to do some checking. Later, Zvonek said that Small erred in saying the internships would be in the Congressional office and had meant to say they would be with the general election Congressional campaign.

It’s unclear what if any penalties Coffman’s campaign will face for the e-mail.

Coffman has been the fund-raising leader in the primary race, but it is by no means certain that he will win. Businessman Wil Armstrong has been running a bundle of ads on network television, and state senators Ted Harvey and Steve Ward have been out knocking on thousands of doors in person, in the hopes of overcoming their financial disadvantage.

The winner of the primary will face Democrat Hank Eng in the general election.

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