May 21, 2026, 5:37 p.m.
Democrats have a chance to make history in November.
Voters in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District have never elected a Democrat in the seat’s 50-year history. The district has never been competitive. Republican Rep. Jeff Crank comfortably won the seat two years ago as the district went ignored by the national Democratic campaign apparatus.
Yet, though most of the country tilted rightward during the 2024 election, the Colorado Springs district was one of the few that shifted toward former Vice President Kamala Harris—underscoring the quickly changing demographics of the city.
The district is unique: It encompasses only one county, El Paso, the most populous county in Colorado; it has a large military and evangelical Christian presence; and more than half of the voters are registered as unaffiliated.
“You just have some entities that tend to be more conservative that are really grounded here,” said Colorado Springs Councilor Nancy Henjum. These entities include Focus on the Family, an evangelical group that promotes traditional beliefs such as heteronormative gender roles and is opposed to LGBTQ+ rights.
The area is also the birthplace of the Libertarian Party.
“I think that's one of the reasons that El Paso County has remained very conservative,” Henjum said.
None of these conditions made the district seem ripe for a Democratic shift in a Republican year like 2024. But Colorado Springs Councilor Kimberly Gold first saw the winds of change in 2023, when the city elected its first mayor not affiliated with the Republican Party in more than 40 years.
“There was an energy in the city wanting some type of change in government,” Gold recalled. “I think here in Colorado Springs, more and more folks are starting to understand and embrace that they can be unaffiliated. … We are sick of the status quo, and I think that’s trickling into the CD-05 election.”
Democrat Jessica Killin, an Army veteran and former chief of staff to former second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, entered the congressional race about a year ago and immediately raised eyebrows when she posted a $750,000 fundraising haul on the first day of her campaign. That’s one of the largest single-day totals across the entire country this cycle. She’d close out that quarter with $1 million raised, effectively clearing the Democratic field before it developed.
Killin’s strong campaign earned her a spot on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue list, effectively an endorsement from the committee and a signal that she might benefit from outside investment. The list does not guarantee such investment, but it's a notable addition this far out from November on the list of 20.
“I believe that the district is ready for change and right for change, but I didn't necessarily know if others would buy into it,” Killin said of making the DCCC list. “This demonstrates that it is possible.“
I just want sh*t to work. ”
—Army veteran Jessica Killin (D), on why she's running for Congress
This is the first time the DCCC has placed the 5th District on Red to Blue. The news has proven something of a double-edged sword locally, however.
Killin’s D.C.-backing has alienated a small but loud wing of local Democrats who declare her primary opponent, Joe Reagan, to be the grassroots candidate, according to state Rep. Amy Paschal, who represents the area. Reagan has raised just over $200,000 but had only $33,000 on hand as of the latest filing period.
It’s a brave new world for El Paso County Democrats, said Paschal, who has also been involved in the local and state party apparatus.
“Normally, we have not been able to get the state party to pay any attention to us,” said Paschal, who supports Killin and argues that the seat requires outside attention in order for Democrats to win.
Paschal, Gold, and Henjum, all local elected officials who endorsed Killin, say they are optimistic that she can build a winning coalition in this traditionally conservative area. They were impressed with the nuance Killin brought to policy, which could help her win a difficult seat.
For Killin, it’s not rocket science.
“I just want sh*t to work,” she said. “I’m exhausted by the chaos. I’m exhausted by the tribalism in our politics. I’m running because I’m a patriot and I love my country.”
As much attention as the Democrats have gotten, the local Republican Party is not ready to cede the district for the first time in its history.
“I don’t know that I deem it quite competitive yet,” said El Paso County GOP Chairman Kendrick Davis. “But if they’re willing to spend their money, then the class of folks that make a bunch of money off of elections are going to make a bunch.”
Crank could not be reached for comment.
The Colorado GOP has had a nightmarish run over the last few years, starting with the ascension of Dave Williams, a former state representative and election denier, as chairman. Williams was subsequently removed from the post before a judge reinstated him. He declined to run for a second term, but not before his tenure created potent factionalism in the party’s ranks. The new chair resigned just a year into her term, citing division and threats of violence.
Davis says that turmoil hasn’t reached the Pikes Peak region of the state, where Republicans have so far maintained their stronghold.
“We’re rowing in [a] similar direction, and so we’re going to fully support Jeff Crank as our only Republican candidate in the primary,” he said.
But as the environment looks increasingly uncertain for Republicans, Democrats are bubbling with enthusiasm.
“I’m more optimistic now than I ever have been that we could actually flip the seat this time,” Paschal said. “I’m really excited about that.”
