AURORA | Democrat Hank Eng is betting on widespread desire for change and the power of the unaffiliated voter to swipe one of the state’s most historically dependable conservative strongholds.

It’s a strategy that Mike Coffman, the Republican nominee for the state’s 6th Congressional District and the current Secretary of State, is hoping to deflate by stressing his extensive political experience in the state and his military experience.

Whatever their separate strategies going into the general election, both candidates hoping to step into the seat that will be vacated by Rep. Tom Tancredo are counting on their unique platforms, both of which have been molded by international experience and public service.

Coffman’s education has been closely tied to his military service.

In 1972, the future secretary of state enlisted in the U.S. Army after his junior year at Aurora Central High School. Coffman’s early immersion in the military, and his subsequent progress through the state political ranks, has helped forge his approach to governance.

The combined experiences are also what Coffman is claiming as among his main qualifications for the state’s 6th Congressional District seat.

“I grew up in the working class neighborhoods of Aurora. I earned a high school diploma as a young soldier,” Coffman said. “I understand the challenges of working class families.”

More than two decades of service in the military would follow Coffman’s initial enlistment. While Coffman continued his education, eventually earning a bachelor’s from the University of Colorado and studying in India and Mexico, he served in the Army and the Army Reserve until 1979, when he transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps.

It’s a military record that Coffman has said will help form his approach in Congress.

“My role in both the Army and the Marine Corps was essentially both in combat fields,” Coffman said. “I’ve led Marines in battle before. I certainly bring that expertise.”

While Eng’s international experience came in a different form and with a different orientation, the candidate is quick to point to the important lessons gleaned while serving in the Peace Corps and working as an engineer in countries across the world.

The son of Chinese immigrants, Eng grew up in New York before obtaining his engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and joining the Peace Corps in the early 1970s. Eng spent the next 11 years working in Africa, eventually landing a job with GE. In his role with the company, Eng traveled across the world, working in Pakistan, China and Russia.

He and his wife eventually landed in Appleton, Wis., a town where he ran a successful campaign for city council and whet his appetite for public service. When his wife secured a job in Colorado in 2004, Eng served out the remainder of his stint on council before moving to join her.

Eng has cited his varied work resume and expansive international travels as keys to success in a diverse district. In an election year where change has become a buzz word for both parties, Eng’s hoping to translate what he sees as a widespread dissatisfaction with the current structure into votes.

“It is a varied district. Voters in Highlands Ranch and Aurora are different from those in Bailey,” Eng said. “Things are falling down around them. They are not happy with the way things are ... Being conservative is not a bad thing. I don’t go out and buy things that I can’t afford. I believe in personal responsibility. I think there’s a difference between being conservative and being exclusive. I think we have to be more inclusive of our neighbors, of our fellow human beings ... Those are American values.”

For his part, Coffman has focused on shoring up his Republican base after a fractious primary season, one that saw four candidates from the same party vying for one seat. With a platform rooted strongly in a conservative approach to spending, Coffman has also proposed a careful policy on everything from Iraq to energy consumption.

“I look forward ... to uniting the Republican party and moving forward into the general election, and being the first Republican Iraq war veteran to serve in the Congress,” Coffman said to supporters in August. “We still have an election in November ... to bring our message to the people of this 6th Congressional District, a message of security, both economic and national security for this country.”