The Colorado Republican, one of the most vulnerable House incumbents in 2018, faced an auditorium of angry residents.
AURORA, Colo. — Nearly every other constituent brought up health care at a town hall here on the outskirts of Denver on Wednesday night, in one of the most competitive House districts in the country.
But not a single one did it to thank Rep. Mike Coffman for backing the House GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Instead, dozens of local residents — Democrats and Republicans — pummeled the Colorado Republican for supporting legislation they said would harm their community.
Standing before a packed auditorium at a University of Colorado satellite campus in Aurora, one young woman pressed Coffman on how he could commit to a bill she fears would hurt people with pre-existing conditions. Another stood up to say her cousin with epilepsy would die without Medicaid, which would be scaled back significantly by the GOP plan.
"I'm sorry to say I was shocked when you declared your intention to vote for the American Health Care Act," said Steven Haas, a 68-year-old lifelong registered Republican. "That is not the way we do things here in Colorado."
Coffman put his political career on the line several weeks ago when he threw his support behind Speaker Paul Ryan’s health care bill, legislation with a 17 percent approval rating. Ryan ultimately pulled the bill from the floor amid a collapse in GOP support — but not before Coffman went on record as a supporter.
Now, the five-term centrist, one of the most vulnerable members in the House GOP Conference, is paying for it in his district, which Hillary Clinton last year carried by 9 points.
"I voted for you because I thought you'd be a leader," said one angry constituent. "I don't see you leading."
The chaotic scene that unfolded Wednesday foreshadows the problem dozens of centrist Republicans will face during the 2018 midterm elections in swing districts across the country. While Coffman was one of the few moderates to brave a town-hall setting during the two-week Easter recess, his colleagues won't be able to dodge constituent blowback at the polls.
Liberals have been galvanized by the Republican effort to dismantle the health care law, which has become increasingly popular as it's come under assault. Left-leaning outside groups like Save Our Care and Planned Parenthood are already targeting moderate Republicans with TV ads, including some aimed squarely at Coffman in this Rocky Mountain suburb.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is working to line up challengers to seize on the backlash against the Republican health care effort and President Donald Trump. Less than 24 hours before Coffman's town hall, Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger and Bronze Star recipient and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, announced he will challenge Coffman next year.
The issue will only get worse for centrists like Coffman. The White House and House conservatives in Washington are pressuring GOP leaders to move the Obamacare replacement bill even further right, in part by gutting major protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Coffman has promised to protect those regulations, a vow he repeated over and over again Wednesday to the skeptical crowd.
Coffman, for his part, appears to realize he's on shaky ground. When asked about his support for the bill during a brief interview minutes before the town hall, he did something of a two-step, claiming all he meant was that the bill was a good "starting point." Should the bill be amended to gut protections for sicker individuals, Coffman said, it'd be "tough" for him to vote for the legislation.
He also downplayed the possibility that his support for the measure could be a problem for him in 2018.
"I've always weathered fairly tough races, and I expect another one," he said. "I ran on [a promise that] I would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The voters knew that in the last ... three election cycles."
It didn't take long for health care to dominate the event, which was monitored by police. Early on, a home-care worker told Coffman, "You have promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions, but the new version of Trumpcare will eliminate those protections."
"Now that the new version eliminates protections for people with pre-existing [conditions], are you going to side with Trump, or are you going to keep your promise and stand with your constituents?" she asked.
The auditorium erupted in applause.
When it came to Medicaid, however, he was at odds with most of the Democratic-leaning room. After one man said that without Medicaid, he and his wife would have to choose between a healthy meal and a much-needed doctor’s visit, Coffman gave a wonkish explanation about how the new health care bill would either block-grant Medicaid or give states a "per capita" allotment per enrollee.
It did not exactly soothe the concerned constituent.
When the mother of a special needs child grew emotional, saying families like hers "eat, breathe and sleep Medicaid," Coffman listened and invited her to talk to his staff after the event.
But he didn’t back down from his belief that the program needs a major overhaul — a position with which most in the room appeared to take issue.
"I really fundamentally believe this Medicaid expansion is driving the deficit, so we've got to bring it back down to that 50-50 split," he said at one point, referring to a lower federal match rate for states.
Coffman knew his audience, and at times, he didn’t bother responding to those who approached the microphone with a clear ax to grind. After the crowd gave a standing ovation when one woman asked what it would take for him to side with constituents over the Republican Party, he didn't answer and simply moved on to the next question.
The tension in the room was nearly constant. Many shouted and held up signs that read "Medicare for all" or "Save Obamacare." When they didn't like his answer — including his response to concerns about federal environmental policy — attendees flung up red signs depicting a thumbs-down icon. At one point, a man in the back screamed, "You're a coward" when Coffman said he did not support an independent counsel to investigate Russia's interference in the election.
The moderator several times had to warn attendees to "please be respectful."
Despite the howling, Coffman tried to play up any common ground he could find with his Democratic constituents, some of whom have unsuccessfully tried to boot him from office for years. He talked proudly about his membership in the "No Labels" caucus, a bipartisan group that brings together Democrats and Republicans to work across the aisle. He questioned the credibility of the House Intelligence Committee's Russia-Trump investigation, saying he'd look to the Senate for answers instead.
Coffman, who stayed a full 45 minutes after his event was slated to end, also called for White House press secretary Sean Spicer to step down after his inaccurate and offensive comments about the Holocaust this week.
"He needs to go," Coffman said to cheers.
Those moments of connection, however, were fleeting. After the town hall, Haas, the Republican who peppered Coffman with criticism for supporting the House GOP Obamacare replacement bill, said Coffman is too extreme for the district.
"He votes with the far right, and that’s not who we are," he said.