American attorney and politician
Cynthia Honssinger Coffman (born August 26, 1961) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Colorado . A Republican , she was elected Attorney General of Colorado in 2014, serving a single term from 2015 to 2019.
Coffman unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor of Colorado in 2018 .[ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
Early life and career
Coffman graduated from the University of Missouri and received her J.D. degree from the Georgia State University College of Law . She began working in the office of the Georgia Attorney General in 1993. In 1996, she became a lawyer for the 1996 Summer Olympics , held in Atlanta . Following the Centennial Olympic Park bombing , Coffman served as a liaison to the families of the victims.[ 6]
Coffman moved to Colorado in 1997 and worked for the legislative council of the Colorado Legislature .[ 6] She served as legal counsel for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment from 1999 through 2004. She then served as legal counsel for Bill Owens , the Governor of Colorado , from 2004 to 2005 and as chief deputy attorney general under John Suthers , the Attorney General of Colorado , from 2004 through 2014.[ 7] In 2012, Law Week Colorado named Coffman their Best Public Sector Lawyer.[ 8]
Attorney General of Colorado
In 2014, Coffman ran in the election for Attorney General of Colorado . She faced Mark Waller for the Republican Party nomination. She received Suthers' endorsement.[ 9] After receiving the majority of support from Colorado delegates,[ 10] Waller withdrew from the race.[ 11] [ 12] She received financial backing from the Republican Attorneys General Association Colorado PAC.[ 13] Coffman defeated Democratic nominee Don Quick 54%-40% in the general election.[ 7]
As attorney general, Coffman signed Colorado onto a lawsuit which sought to roll back the Clean Power Plan.[ 14] Coffman also led the state's lawsuit against Boulder County over that county's drilling moratorium.[ 15]
In 2018, instead of seeking reelection as Attorney General, Coffman chose to run for governor of Colorado . She failed to win the Republican nomination and was succeeded as attorney general by Democrat Phil Weiser , who defeated Republican George Brauchler for the post. Coffman's term ended on January 9, 2019.[ 15]
Personal life
In 2005, she had her second marriage to Mike Coffman , who represented Colorado's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives . The couple divorced in June 2017.[ 16]
Electoral history
Colorado Attorney General Republican Primary Election, 2014
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Cynthia Coffman
1,002,626
51.43
Democratic
Don Quick
826,182
42.38
Libertarian
David Williams
120,745
6.19
See also
References
^ Association, Colorado Bar (1998). Colorado Lawyer, Volume 27 . Colorado Bar Association .
^ a b Hubbell, Martindale (September 1998). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware (Volume 4 - 1998) . Martindale-Hubbell . ISBN 9781561603244 .
^ Paul, Jesse (November 8, 2017). "Cynthia Coffman is running for governor of Colorado, adding to long list of GOP primary candidates" . The Denver Post . Retrieved November 8, 2017 .
^ Hernandez, Esteban (April 18, 2018). "After state assemblies, here's who's still running for governor of Colorado" . Spirited Media. Denverite. Retrieved January 9, 2019 .
^ Paul, Jesse (January 8, 2019). "Cynthia Coffman once had a bright political future. Here's what Colorado's GOP attorney general has to say as she leaves office" . Civil Media Company. Colorado Sun. Retrieved January 9, 2019 .
^ a b "Chief Deputy Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman tells CCRW why she's running to replace her boss" . villagerpublishing.com . Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014 .
^ a b "Cynthia Coffman easily wins Colorado AG's race" . denverpost.com . November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014 .
^ "Cynthia Coffman tapped 'Best Public Sector Lawyer' " . coloradostatesman.com . Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2014 .
^ "John Suthers to nominate Cynthia Coffman for attorney general at state GOP assembly" . The Spot . Retrieved November 6, 2014 .
^ Kurtis Lee (April 14, 2014). "Cynthia Coffman amasses 69 percent of GOP delegate support, almost keeps Mark Waller off ballot" . The Denver Post. Retrieved April 30, 2014 .
^ Eli Stokols (April 28, 2014). "Waller ends campaign for attorney general, calls for GOP to unify behind Coffman" . KDVR. Retrieved April 30, 2014 .
^ Anthony Cotton (April 28, 2014). "Rep. Mark Waller, citing party unity, withdraws from attorney general race" . The Denver Post. Retrieved April 30, 2014 .
^ "2014 Elections: Republican Buy TV for Cynthia Coffman" . At the Races . Retrieved November 6, 2014 .
^ Elliott, Dan (January 30, 2019). "With Democrats in charge, Colorado now backs clean air rule" . Associated Press .
^ a b Paul, Jesse (January 8, 2019). "Cynthia Coffman once had a bright political future. Here's what Colorado's GOP attorney general has to say as she leaves office" . Colorado Sun .
^ Paul, Jesse (June 19, 2017). "Cynthia and Mike Coffman have filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage" . The Denver Post .
External links