In a Republican stronghold, Colorado congressional candidates will test just how reliably red the district still is

DENVER — For the first time in nearly two decades, voters in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District won’t have an incumbent on the ballot — giving breath to the question of just how Republican red the state’s fastest-growing county is.

Longtime radio host and conservative activist Jeff Crank, 57, hopes to answer the question in the Nov. 5 election with a deep crimson result befitting the historic GOP stronghold, which now covers most of El Paso County.

Democrat River Gassen, 27, an instructor and research assistant at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ BioFrontiers Center, hopes to turn recent streaks of blue there into an azure upset — and, in the process, become the district’s first-ever Democratic member of Congress.

For nine terms, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn has reliably won reelection, representing the state’s second-largest city. He announced in January that he wouldn’t seek another term, opening the seat for a fresh contest — though it’s still a district the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as “solid Republican.”

On issues typically at the top of voters’ concerns, the two fall along expected partisan lines.

Gassen lists federal protections for abortion rights as a top priority; Crank describes himself as “a proud pro-life advocate.”

“I’m getting a little tired of hearing this ‘states’ rights’ narrative,” Gassen said. “I don’t think states’ rights really has anything to do with women’s rights. I think it’s just kind of an escape so people can say they’re pro-life, so to speak, without trying to sound sexist.”

On immigration, Crank called the bipartisan border bill that died in Congress earlier this year “a ruse.” He advocates for more aggressive deportations of convicted criminals and stricter limits on how many people can cross the border.

Gassen supported that bill as a way to provide resources for asylum seekers and border security, though she said she’d rather it be “a little bit more progressive” by focusing on boosting resources to process asylum requests.

“I know people want to say, ‘Are you for or against mass deportations?’ ” Crank said in a recent interview. “Starting with the criminals who came here, the terrorists, others — let’s figure out who those people are, and let’s get them the heck out of here. They don’t belong in the United States. Let’s start with that, and then we’ll keep working through the list.”

On economics, Gassen defends the Inflation Reduction Act, a signature accomplishment from President Joe Biden’s administration, and the strategy of using government spending to spur economic activity. Crank sees government spending as spurring the recent inflation crisis.

Crank calls himself a Republican close to the mold of former President Ronald Reagan, while Gassen says her politics most closely align with those of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The district’s recent history suggests Crank has a distinct advantage. Lamborn, the outgoing Republican, is retiring following the narrowest general election win of his career: A 16-percentage-point shellacking of his Democratic opponent in 2022.

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump won El Paso County by 11 percentage points while losing the state by a 13.5-point margin to Biden.

But both candidates see a crossroads in this election.

Gassen sees a strong local Democratic ticket, from state House races to county commissioner bids, as a group effort that supports all the candidates. The district has been seeing pockets of blue, particularly in Colorado Springs, that just haven’t spread to federal elections yet, Gassen said.

It’s a presidential year, too, which typically bodes well for Democrats, and voters in Colorado will be seeing abortion on the ballot with Amendment 79, which could galvanize abortion-rights supporters who want to elevate protections to the state constitution. Anecdotally, she says she’s seeing fewer Trump flags than years past.

“I do feel like even the Republicans here in Colorado Springs are tired of the Trump party,” Gassen said.

Crank, for his part, steers away from the label of MAGA Republican — short for the Trump campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” — even as he has celebrated Trump’s endorsement and many of the former president’s achievements as he seeks the White House again. In June, Republican primary voters likewise soundly rejected Dave Williams, Crank’s primary opponent — and the state GOP’s chairman — who tied himself as closely as possible to Trump.

Crank instead styles himself as a “happy warrior,” closer to the style of Reagan and former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, the last Republican to win a statewide federal election in Colorado, than the combative conservatism of today.

The race also proves a test for the future of the party in Colorado, he said. Historically, for Republicans, winning a statewide victory has meant running up the tally in El Paso County. If Crank loses, the party’s “in pretty, pretty bad shape” across the board, he said. A loss would also disprove his theory of positive, principled conservatism.

“The Republican Party has gotten away, in some cases, from nominating good candidates — from nominating candidates that can appeal to the voters of Colorado,” Crank said. “I would argue you don’t have to give up your principles to do that.”