Hoping to ride the "silver bullet" into the Senate, Coors, 56, has little experience in the political arena, but his well-recognized name, personal fortune and business roots, which span more than five generations, provided him with a boost in the Republican primary.

Coors showed he could make the transition from businessman to politician when he soundly defeated former Rep. Bob Schaffer for the Republican Senate nomination

Coors is a scion of a family with deep Colorado roots. Like his father and grandfather, Coors attended prestigious prep school Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, then went on to Cornell University, earning a degree in industrial engineering in 1969.

And just like his forefathers, Pete Coors took over the family's brewing business -- the ninth largest in the world. He became vice chairman and chief executive officer of the company in 1993. He was then named chairman of Adolph Coors Co. and its principal subsidiary, Coors Brewing Co., in 2002.

Coors has also followed family tradition when it comes to his political beliefs. Like his parents, he has donated large amounts of money to conservative charities and Republican candidates.

His entry into politics, however, is where Coors is taking a turn from tradition.

Even though his father mounted a successful bid for University of Colorado regent in the 1960s, none of his family members have been involved in statewide or nationwide politics.

"I was never a political activist in high school and college," Pete Coors told the Rocky Mountain News.

Nevertheless his career in the beer business has built many relationships and allowed him to grow as a public figure. Traveling to Washington as a lobbyist and representative of the family business, Coors soon made influential and powerful friends. He has also appeared in countless advertisements, given dozens of speeches and attended social events for the company, giving him an additional political boost.

His campaign points to his business experience as evidence of his leadership ability. In 1997, Coors led the business out of a potentially damaging boycott of their product by unions and gay groups by negotiating a deal under which same-sex partners would receive the same health and other benefits as their married counterparts.

"I have a long history in my career of trying to get people together to solve problems," he told the Rocky Mountain News.

Despite these moves, Coors has campaigned in support of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Coors Brewing Co. has said it opposes the amendment. The differences have troubled some.

"The company's gay-friendliness is what raises doubts among conservatives about candidate Coors, " wrote political analyst Charlie Cook.

In direct opposition to his father's anti-negotiation stance, Pete Coors met for discussions with the AFL-CIO in 1988. After the meetings, the company's employees rejected a bid to unionize with the Teamsters.

From his endorsements to philanthropy and community service work to his widely known name, the beer brewer mingles his business career with his politics.

Coors serves on numerous boards and committees, including many outdoorsman sports and wildlife conservation boards. He is a trustee of the Adolph Coors Foundation and the Castle Rock Foundation, both philanthropic groups that donate large sums of money to chosen nonprofit organizations. He serves as a committee member of the National Western Stock Show Association, is a member of Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Centennial Commission.

Coors also serves as a chairman of the International Chapter of Young Presidents Organization, a group that brings together young business executives from around the world. He also serves on the Vision 2006 Campaign for Johnson & Wales University at Denver and on the board of directors of the University of Colorado Hospital.

Pete Coors lists his biggest private life accomplishment as his 34-year marriage to his wife, Marilyn, and his six children, in a recent Rocky Mountain News survey. His biggest public life accomplishment, he says, is running the Coors Brewing Co.

-- Compiled for the Online NewsHour by Deirdre Erin Murphy