AURORA, Colo. -- A Colorado Congressman in a competitive district has a new ad taking aim at Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The new ad, airing on cable and online, shows the following message:
"People ask me, 'What do you think about Trump?" Honestly, I don't care for him much. And I certainly don't trust Hillary. I'm a Marine. For me, country comes first. My duty is always to you. So, if Donald Trump is President, I'll stand up to him, plain and simple. And if Hillary wins, I'll hold her accountable every step of the way. I'm Mike Coffman and I approve this message. My job is clear. Work hard and serve you. That's what I'll do."
The ad doesn't reveal who he currently plans to vote for on Nov. 8.
"Do people ask you, 'Are you going to vote for Trump?'" asked Denver7 political reporter Marshall Zelinger.
"I'm running my own campaign, and the purpose of the ad is not whether I'm voting for Trump or not, the purpose of this ad is to send a message to the people of my Congressional District that I will represent them whoever is in the White House," said Coffman.
"They're going to want to know, who are you going to vote for based on not liking either?" said Zelinger.
"Donald Trump has not earned my support. I'm not going to vote for Hillary Clinton. (I've) talked to Governor (Bill) Weld on the Libertarian side, and I wouldn't rule that out," said Coffman.
Bill Weld is the former governor of Massachusetts and the Vice Presidential candidate with Libertarian Presidential nominee Gary Johnson.
"What does it take for Donald Trump to get your vote?" asked Zelinger.
"He has not earned my vote," said Coffman. "I'm going to wait and watch, but the window's closing. (He's) wrong on policy, wrong on rhetoric. I think Hillary Clinton is wrong on everything. I think she's so incredibly dishonest and corrupt, but again, Donald Trump has not earned my vote."
"Do you trust Donald Trump?" asked Zelinger.
"I think there are issues of temperament that are there that certainly concern me," said Coffman.
He said he met Trump on Capitol Hill when the presidential candidate visited congressional leaders.
"I thought he would be different behind closed doors. I thought it was a, kind of, 'shtick,' the way he is in public, it would be different in private. I found him to be the same person," said Coffman.
Coffman is running for reelection against State Sen. Morgan Carroll, in a district that covers Aurora and wraps around the eastern part of the metro area.
The voter makeup in Congressional District Six is fairly even:
- 138,895: Unaffiliated
- 134,865: Republican
- 130,746: Democrat
Denver7 asked Coffman if this ad was produced just because he's in a competitive district.
"Even if I were in a deep red district, being a Marine Corp combat veteran, I would have problems with Donald Trump," said Coffman.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is the campaign arm of the Democratic Party, already has a response utilizing some of the Coffman ad.
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