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National Democrats are eyeing Colorado Springs-area seat as GOP margins narrow in longtime Republican stronghold

June 30, 2026 10:06pm EDT / Fox News

By Alec Schemmel

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Jessica Killin won the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday, setting up a November match-up against incumbent Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., for the Colorado Springs-based seat.

Killin, a former Army captain and former chief of staff to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, defeated fellow Army veteran and nonprofit leader Joe Reagan, according to the Associated Press. The result means she will take on Crank, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary and is seeking a second term representing the district, which is centered on Colorado Springs and most of El Paso County, including several military-heavy communities.

Killin entered the race as a first-time candidate with national support and strong fundraising, while Reagan, who ran for the seat in 2024, leaned on his local roots, combat service and nonprofit work helping veterans open businesses.

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Jessica Killin (left) and Joe Reagan (right) are both Democrats vying to unseat icumbent GOP Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th House district.(Killin for Colorado/Reagan for Colorado)

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The general election will test whether Democrats can make gains in a Republican-leaning district that includes Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy, along with fast-growing Colorado Springs suburbs.

The race drew national attention from Democrats because the Colorado Springs-based district, long a Republican stronghold, has shown signs of becoming more competitive. The Colorado Sun reported that Trump’s margin in El Paso County, which largely overlaps with the 5th District, fell from 22 points in 2016 to 10 points in 2024, while Republican margins in the House race have also narrowed over the past decade.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Killin to its Red to Blue program, signaling national Democrats viewed the Republican-held seat as a potential pickup opportunity, even though the district remains GOP-leaning.

Sunrise light hits the U.S. Capitol dome on Thursday, January 2, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The district’s current incumbent, Crank, is a former Capitol Hill staffer of seven years, who subsequently moved back home to Colorado where he served as Vice President for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Chief Operating Officer at nonprofit Americans for Prosperity and president of his own real estate investment company, according to his campaign website.

Crank’s background in broadcasting includes hosting both The Jeff Crank Show in Colorado and the American Potential Podcast.

Fifth Congressional District candidate Jeff Crank speaks in front of supporters during a meet and greet at the Brandt Barn in Black Forest, Colorado on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.(AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

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Killin aligned herself with a centrist Democratic push shortly before the primary, signing onto an initiative that described its signatories as “capitalist, not socialist” and emphasized public safety, fiscal responsibility, secure borders and national pride.

Meanwhile, Killin said during an online news conference that candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America “should not be the face of our party,” according to local news outlet Colorado Politics.

Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but now resides in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.