Jessica Killin flips Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, becomes first Democrat to win

Jessica Killin has done the unthinkable. She defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Crank to become the first Democrat to represent Colorado’s 5th congressional district.

The Associated Press called the race for Killin Thursday afternoon.

Here are the latest results:

The neighborhood

Colorado’s 5th Congressional District was the focus of voters across the state and the rest of the country. Since its creation in 1973, the district that represents Colorado Springs, Cimarron Hills and surrounding suburbs and military bases has been historically red.

As the midterm elections approach, the Cook Political Report showed a shift from “Likely Red” to “Lean Red.” This highlighted the neighborhood’s potential for turnaround.

Two years ago, Colorado Springs was among the 25 reddest metro areas by a margin of +11.2. But since 2016, it has seen the second-largest political change among the top 30 metro areas, with a +14.6, according to VividMaps.

In a poll conducted by Global Strategy Group and first reported by the Colorado Sun on October 22, Killin held a slight lead over Crank, 46% to 44%. The results found that voters were somewhat divided in their opinions of Killin. But they had a more negative view of Crank – especially from unaffiliated voters.

President Donald Trump won the district by 10 points in 2020 and nine points in 2024. According to the poll, 64% of undecided voters had an unfavorable opinion of Trump heading into the midterm elections.

According to the Federal Election Committee, Killin raised more money than Crank.

Jessica Killin

If there was a candidate capable of flipping the majority-red district, it would be Killin. After winning the Democratic nomination in June, she said, “this is not your mother’s Colorado Springs.”

Killin ran on the platform of “Team Normal”. But the Democratic candidate’s resume was far from normal. The fourth-generation Coloradan graduated from Falcon High School.

After graduating from the University of Tampa, she was commissioned as an officer through Army ROTC and rose to the rank of captain. She also graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and worked for USAA, a financial services company. She served as chief of staff to the second gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff.

Killin and his family moved to Colorado Springs to run for the district seat. Her deep political connections and military experience have made her a strong candidate since launching her campaign last July.

She ran for the 5th District because she felt Crank failed to stand up for the community and distance himself from the Trump administration’s failed policies. Killin felt the neighborhood’s residents were hungry for change.

Killin defeated fellow Army veteran Joe Reagan to win the nomination minutes after polls closed in the June Democratic primary. Reagan narrowly lost the green light in 2022.

Jeff Crank

Crank, a former congressman for former Rep. Joel Hefley who represented the district from 1987 to 2007, was also a political consultant and radio host. He ran unsuccessfully twice against former Rep. Doug Lamborn before winning the Republican nomination for the district in 2024.

The 2026 GOP primary race has proven to be highly contentious. But Crank managed to defeat the party’s controversial chairman, Dave Williams, with 68 percent of the vote.

During Crank’s first term, the district saw U.S. Space Command permanently transferred to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The command had operated from Peterson Space Station in Colorado Springs since 2019 and reached full operational capability by the end of 2023.

In response to the loss of U.S. Space Command, Crank was able to work with the Trump administration to bring a $250 million Space Force Operations Facility to Space Force Base Shriever. Crank said the new facility is expected to bring between 5,700 and 7,000 new jobs to the district.

Crank has sponsored and introduced nine bills in the last two years, including three in the last two months. According to the bill tracker on Congress.gov, none of them have yet passed the House. Two notable pieces of legislation introduced by Crank are designed to combat affordable housing.

The FRAMER Act (HR 7282) would eliminate green energy mandates. The First-Time Home Buyers’ Debt Reduction Act (HR 10084) would require certain homebuyer federal student loan payments to be classified as a financial concession by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association.

Despite his proposals remaining unused in the House, Crank managed to pass a resolution. The House passed HR1490, a non-binding resolution condemning socialism in all its forms. This includes the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).