Colorado Politics: Republican Joe O'Dea adds endorsements from Mike Coffman, more than a dozen other mayors

This article appeared in Colorado Politics.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman on Wednesday endorsed Colorado's Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe O'Dea, joining more than 20 other current and former top municipal officials, O'Dea's campaign said.

Coffman said O'Dea, who is challenging Democrat Michael Bennet's bid for a third term, will "help bring balance to government here in Colorado and the United States."

"Joe has been a leader in our community for decades," said Coffman, a Republican, in a statement. "The City of Aurora and the State of Colorado need leaders in Washington who will work hard for us and listen to their constituents. I believe Joe O'Dea will do just that."

Another 17 mayors and four former mayors have thrown their support behind O'Dea, the owner of a Denver-based construction company and first-time candidate, his campaign said in a release.

Coffman is in his third year as mayor of Colorado's third-largest city, a nonpartisan position he won in a close race a year after losing a bid for a sixth term in Congress in 2018. Coffman previously served as state treasurer, secretary of state, state representative and state senator. 

"I've worked with a lot of mayors throughout my career and I'm proud to have the support of so many across our great state," said O'Dea in a statement. "I know mayors show up and get to work, and I'm ready to strengthen those partnerships from the Senate to do good for our state."

O'Dea, who co-founded Concrete Express 38 years ago, has described his company as a "municipal contractor" that does as much as 95% of its work for municipalities.

Other mayors who have endorsed O'Dea include John Suthers of Colorado Springs, Jeff Toborg of Parker, Jan Kulmann of Thornton, Stephanie Pico of Centennial, Nancy McNally of Westminster, Marc Williams of Arvada, John Gates of Greeley, Greg Mills of Brighton, Jackie Millet of Lone Tree, Benjamin Huseman of Commerce City, George Lantz of Greenwood Village, Russell Stewart of Cherry Hills Village, Mark Clark of Evans, Colleen Whitlow of Mead, Adrienne Sandoval of Platteville, Zo Stieber-Hubbard of Fort Lupton and Gary Lagrimanta of Kersey.

Former mayors backing O'Dea include Sean Forey of Morrison, Wade Troxell of Fort Collins, Rick Taggart of Grand Junction and Bob LeGare of Aurora.