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Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles on Republican and Democrat candidates for statewide office

Republican Mike Coan announced Friday that he will qualify this week for the Georgia Labor Commissioner – after current Commissioner Mark Butler announced that he will not be seeking re-election. Coan is the second Republican to get into the race after state Sen. Bruce Thompson, Chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee.

Coan currently serves as Deputy Commissioner at the Georgia Department of Labor and is a former state representative. According to his press release, Coan was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1996 and served as chairman of the Industry and Labor committee. During his time in the House Coan was named Legislator of the Year by the NFIB, the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, the Georgia Restaurant Association, and others.

“I am proud to have served our state at the pleasure of all three of Georgia’s Republican governors,” said Coan. “At this critical time in our history, we need an experienced conservative leader who understands how to run one of Georgia’s biggest agencies.”

According to Coan, he was appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue to lead the state agency known as The Subsequent Injury Trust Fund in 2010. In this role, Coan says he saved the state millions of dollars by managing the Fund like a business, streamlining functions and cutting out waste. He served concurrently under Governors Perdue, Deal and Kemp. In his current role at the Department of Labor, he oversees facilities and legislative matters. Prior to joining the DOL, he did a short stint as President at Georgia Association of Manufacturers (GAM).

Coan serves on the Chairman’s Advisory Council for Workers Compensation. He says he also volunteers with a charity that raises funds to send children, whose parent has been killed or catastrophically injured, to the technical school or college of their choosing.

He and his wife, Hope, have three daughters.