“Plain and Simple” takes a shot at Congressman Mike Coffman for his claim during the 2016 presidential race that he would stand up to either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump if either did something he disagreed with. In the ad, Coffman was talking about Trump. Hillary won in most of his district by a large margin, despite losing the White House. Coffman took great pains in 2016 to distance himself from Trump and has done that in comments ever since. The ad points out, however, that comments aside, Coffman votes the Trump Republican Party line, even more than other Colorado Republicans. The ad is produced and paid for by by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Allegation 1: Coffman voted with Trump 96 percent of the time, more than any other Colorado politician

The ad cites FiveThirtyEight, a reputable source for tracking votes and other political data. The ad does not specifically define how Coffman “votes with Trump.” How that’s narrowly defined is somewhat subjective. The numbers cited are meaningful however, because they provide an “apples to apples” comparison of not only Coffman to fellow Republicans, but to Colorado Democrats, too. As the ad insists, Rep. Mike Coffman has voted in line with bills President Donald Trump supported 95.6 percent of the time, which is technically higher than all other Republicans in the state, but only negligibly.

Coffman’s margin, however, is only 0.1 percent higher than GOP Rep. Scott Tipton’s 95.5 percent. Sen. Cory Gardner voted in line with the President’s agenda 90.9 percent, Rep. Ken Buck 87.5 percent, and Rep. Doug Lamborn 93.3 percent. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet voted in line with Trump 29.9 percent of the time, Rep. Diana DeGette 11.9 percent, Rep. Jared Polis 16.5 percent, and Rep. Ed Perlmutter 28.1 percent.

In many bills, Coffman was voting his party line on issues such as defense spending, taxes, and environmental policy.

Verdict: Based in fact

Allegation 2: Coffman voted for Trump’s plan to sabotage health care

The ad refers to H.R. 1, a massive tax overhaul measure in which the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was repealed. The individual mandate was the penalty for not buying the most basic health care coverage. Proponents say repealing the mandate will undermine the ACA, which compels people to buy insurance. In a previous interview with The Sentinel, Coffman made note of the implications of the repeal of the individual mandate, stating that he voted for H.R. 1 because the mandate repeal was postponed until 2019, and he predicted this and other ACA issues would come back to the House. They have not, and the mandate is slated to end next year. While it’s debatable whether the ACA can continue without a mandate, and Trump himself touted H.R. 1 as the end of Obamacare, the bill itself was a complex tax reform package that did not focus solely on the ACA. It should be noted that Coffman once opposed his party in a measure last year, saying he did not want to see the ACA pre-existing condition powers undone. He has, however, voted for various measures to repeal the ACA.

Verdict: Based in fact, needs context

Allegation 3: Coffman voted for Trump’s tax giveaway

Coffman voted for the overhauling of the tax code (H.R. 1). Many economists believe that the new tax bill will lead to a large increase in the budget deficit. Proponents say it reduces tax bills for all Americans and could lead to a reduction in the federal budget deficit after increased economic activity. There has been no evidence of that so far. The term “giveaway” refers to American businesses and wealthiest Americans receiving the biggest benefits of H.R. 1. Republicans believe that reducing the tax burden of businesses and the country’s wealthy will stimulate growth and investment, creating more jobs and, overall, more wealth. Critics say this is nothing more than a new version of trickle-down economics, which, arguably, has not worked to increase the wealth of middle-class and poorer Americans in the past.

Verdict: Based in fact, needs context

Allegation 4: Coffman’s vote in favor of the tax overhaul, threatening the protections for people with pre-existing conditions

The ad cites a CNN article referencing a Texas lawsuit that looked to invalidate many parts of the ACA including the personal mandate and pre-existing conditions. The personal mandate was effectively overturned via H.R. 1, with no plan to replace it. The White House stated they would not defend many pieces of the ACA, including pre-existing condition coverage, in the lawsuit put forward by Texas. The basis of the lawsuit is using the precedent of H.R. 1’s passing as a foundation to overturn pre-existing conditions and other pieces of the ACA.

Verdict: Based in fact, needs context

Allegation 5: Coffman doesn’t stand up to Trump

Anecdotally, among Colorado congressional Republicans, Coffman has been one of the most vocal critics of the president, specifically on immigration matters and some of Trump’s secretary choices. If a voter believes that words matter, Coffman has sometimes pushed back against Trump. If a voter considers that actions speak louder than words, Coffman has aligned himself with the Trump White House 96 percent of time on matters of legislation.

Verdict: Debateable

THE BOTTOM LINE: Standing up to Trump is in the eye of the beholder. Trump has pushed for legislation and positions that, arguably, are sometimes wildly unpopular with the majority of Aurora-area voters. While Coffman has at times been outspoken in criticizing Trump for some comments and decisions, there’s no denying that he’s voted the party line 96 percent of the time, and that the Republican legislation has met with Trump’s approval.

— Kara Mason and Dylan Roberts