Updated at 9:42am M.T.
Jessica Killin has worked in the White House, Congress and the U.S. Army. Now she’s returned home to Colorado Springs and is running for office.
Killin officially launched her campaign on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District, a seat currently held by freshman Republican Jeff Crank.
“I'm running because I'm a patriot and I love my country and I love Colorado,” she told CPR News. “I grew up here in a middle-class household, and I've been able to achieve my version of the American dream, and I want to give others in my home community the opportunity to also achieve the American dream.”
Most recently, Killin served as chief of staff for then then-Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff. She also did stints as chief of staff for different Democrats in Congress, most recently with moderate Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. She also worked for the military financial entity USAA, doing policy work.
Her past political works gives her a deep Rolodex to pull from, but also opens her up to questions about how deep her ties really are to the local Colorado Springs community.
Killin only recently moved back to Colorado Springs, but she pointed to her family’s history there, which goes back four generations. She was born and raised in Colorado and graduated from Falcon High School. She received an ROTC scholarship for college and served for eight years in the U.S. Army in the Military Police Corps, leaving with the rank of Captain, before going to Georgetown Law School.
“Colorado Springs, and this community in particular, have instilled in me the values that have propelled me throughout my entire career,” she said. “Those are mainly selfless service and patriotism.”
Still, this is a tough seat for any Democrat.
The 5th Congressional District, which now mainly comprises El Paso County, is the only seat in Colorado that has never sent a Democrat to Congress. Crank won office by more than 15 points over his Democratic challenger in 2024. And registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats more than 2 to 1.
Killin said she knows it will be a hard hill to climb, but that she’s not afraid of challenges.
“I like hard work. And ultimately, I think that who I am and my core values actually fit this district much more than what Jeff Crank is doing,” she said. “While I do have a D behind my name, and I get that this is going to be a challenge, I am a moderate, middle-of-the-road, pragmatic Democrat who believes that we can get together with people of the other party and work toward a common good. I think it's very frustrating to me that politics have become so divided and there's so much acrimony on both the left and the right, and I'm focused on working towards solutions that are actually going to make the lives of El Paso County and Pikes Peak region [residents] better.”
Like many Democrats, Killin has pointed to Crank’s vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill, and the fact that it will take health care away from people in the district, as well as raise the national debt, as issues that might resonate with voters in the district. She is also hoping her former military service will help her connect with voters in the military- and veteran-heavy district.
In response to the announcement, a Crank advisor argued that the district sent a clear message last November, rejecting “the Biden/Harris failures at our Southern border, the collapsing economy, and a weak America on the world stage.”
“Killin has spent her last 20 years in D.C. working against the people of El Paso County,” said Nick Trainer, a senior advisor to Rep. Crank. “Rep. Jeff Crank has spent the last 30 years in Colorado Springs working in the community to make El Paso County a better place to live. A race of a strong Colorado conservative versus a D.C. Swamp creature is one we welcome.”
Still, there have been some glimmers of hope for Democrats in the district.
As many congressional seats saw a rightward shift in 2024, the 5th had the largest swing toward Democrats in the country. The Cook Political Report shifted its Partisan Voting Index for the district to R+5, down from R+9. There are also over 100,000 more unaffiliated voters than registered Republicans in the district.
In 2022, Democratic Governor came within three points of his Republican challenger in the GOP stronghold, while in 2023, a non-Republican won the office of Mayor of Colorado Springs for the first time in decades.
Killin faces at least two other Democrats seeking the nomination, including Joe Reagan, also a veteran, who ran in the Democratic primary in 2024 and lost, as well as Zuri Horowitz, who was a member of the Citizens’ Transportation Advisory board until earlier this year.
