Former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens is backing a fellow Republican in Tuesday’s election for Aurora mayor, Mike Coffman.

“I’ve known Mike Coffman since he returned to Aurora from the Marines in the early 1980s to start a small business,” Owens said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Over the years, Mike has represented Aurora at our state Capitol and in Washington. He is a strong fiscal conservative who can bring his extensive knowledge from the military, business, and government to make Aurora one of the safest and best run cities in America.”

Owens was the last Republican to serve as governor, serving from 1999 to 2007. He also is a former legislator who represented parts of Aurora.

“Since his days in the state legislature, Gov. Owens has been a champion for Aurora,” Coffman said. “We represented the same Aurora-based House and Senate districts in the legislature in years past and continue to share a commitment to the Aurora community and to conservative values and ideas.”

Coffman is in a six-way race for the non-partisan office, facing Marsha Berzins, Ryan Frazier, Tiffany Grays, Omar Montgomery and Renie Peterson.