Will Colorado Springs’ congressional seat go blue sooner than expected? Democrats see an opening in a wave year.
On paper, Colorado’s 5th Congressional District race should be all but a foregone conclusion. Freshman U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank won the Colorado Springs-centered seat by almost 14 percentage points in 2024. El Paso County as a whole voted for President Donald Trump by 10 percentage points that same year. The voters there have never — not once in the district’s 50-year-plus history — sent a Democrat to Congress. But a rickety economy, eye-popping fuel prices and Trump’s rock-bottom approval ratings have thrust the district into heavy competition this year. Democrats set their sights on the seat as a possible flip early in the cycle — one that’s a potential key to a House majority in 2027. Political prognosticators have steadily moved their predictions in favor of Jessica Killin, the Democratic nominee, even if they mostly still give Crank an edge. And millions of dollars in outside spending…
