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November 21st 2025. Len’s Political Note #768 Jessica Killin Colorado 05
2026 General Election
This is the kind of win that creates a wave. Jessica Killin has a poll. Jessica Killin has some money. She could win in this district that has never before sent a Democrat to Congress.
Colorado has become as blue as New England. In 2024, Kamala Harris outdid Donald Trump 54-43. In 2022 Democrats carried every statewide office by double digits and for the US Senate, Michael Bennet was re-elected by a 56-41 margin.
Colorado is different, however, when it comes to the US House of Representatives. Of Colorado’s eight members of Congress, four are Republicans. In order to be elected again to Congress, Lauren Boebert had to switch from Colorado 03 to Colorado 04. Newcomer Jeff Hurd was the Republican elected to Colorado 03 in her place. In the district created as a result of the 2020 census, Republican Gabe Evans defeated the Freshman Democrat. And Jeff Crank represents Colorado 05, which has never been represented by a Democrat.
The center of Colorado 05 is Colorado Springs – an hour’s drive due south of Denver on US Route 25 — if you consistently drive 70 miles per hour. In the mountains that dominate the western two-thirds of the state, Aspen, the home of the Democratic challenger who chased away Lauren Boebert two years ago would be about 100 miles away from Colorado Springs if the state were flat and you could drive directly from one place to another. Even though Aspen is more west than north of Colorado Spring, to drive from Aspen, Google maps tells you to drive further west north west to get to Greenwood Spring, then turn east and drive to just south of Denver, and then drive to Colorado Springs. The total drive is 265 miles and takes 4 and a half hours. You could take more local and direct roads north to Route 70 but the drive would take you an hour longer. You simply cannot drive directly west to Colorado Springs. Notwithstanding the statewide politics, Colorado is not New England.
Colorado Springs has been changing. In 1950 fewer than 50,000 people lived there. Every decade since then, the population has increased by at least 15%, between 1960 and 1970 it nearly doubled. Now it has a touch under 500,000 people and is the 40th largest city in the country – a little larger than Miami and Omaha, a little smaller than Kansas City and Raleigh.
Colorado Spring’s conservative orientation had been established in the middle of the 20th century as it became the home of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Here is the center of this country’s nuclear defense. The culture changed a bit as colleges and universities were opened. Although among the colleges is the US Air Force Academy – no bastion of liberalism. The city is still 75% white. Regardless of race, it has become 12% Hispanic.
Some estimate that 40% of the city’s economy is powered by the defense industry. Someone else might suggest that the rest is powered by tourism. In 2017 a study reported Colorado Springs as being the fourth most conservative city in the country. Nevertheless, it has grown less conservative. In 2022, Jared Polis, a gay man and a progressive, carried Colorado Springs and lost the Congressional district by three points while being reelected. In 2023, Blessing Adeyemi Mobolade, who was born and raised in Lagos to Yoruba Christian converts who combine a commitment to business and religion, was elected mayor. An immigrant to the US in 1997, he graduated from Bethel University and a seminary. In Colorado Springs he founded a church and opened restaurants. He ran for mayor as an independent and defeated a Republican.
Jennifer Killin is not an immigrant to Colorado Springs. She describes a four -generation history of her family in the city. She is a graduate of Falcon High School (named, perhaps, for the Air Force Academy mascot). Here is a rebellious note. She went to college at the University of Tampa on a ROTC scholarship and joined the Army not the Air Force. She served in the Military Police, then went to law school at Georgetown.
After law school Jessica Killin went to work in Washington. She was an aide in the Senate for three and a half years, worked as an attorney for nearly three years and as a lobbyist for ten. She served as chief of staff for three Members of Congress – Donna Shalala, Carolyn Maloney (from my NY 12 district), and Marie G. Perez. For a year and a half she had her highest profile job – Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Chief of Staff to the First Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff.
Had Kamala Harris been elected President, Jessica Killin might have had a role in the administration. Instead, she returned to Colorado Springs. Knowing that her home district had a first term Member of Congress, she may have had thoughts about running for Congress from the very beginning of her return home.
For her campaign, Jessica Killin stakes out a middle ground: “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 …better.”
Jessica Killin points to the community her time in the military (even if it was in the Army and not the Air Force) and explains that the incumbent shows no signs of being in the middle. His vote for the Big Beautiful Bill, she says, will “take health care away from people in the district, as well as raise the national debt.”
Demonstrating that Jessica Killin has a point about politicians creating division, Crank’s spokesperson describes her work in Congress and the Biden administration as “working against the people of El Paso County.” He adds that Crank welcomes “A race of a strong Colorado conservative versus a D.C. Swamp creature.”
Jessica Killin acknowledges that Crank’s 15 point win in 2024 will be hard to overcome. She has, however, a clear vision of what her positions are and a deep understanding of the issues facing Congress. After speaking with her, the Colorado Sun reported:
“…she believes in abortion rights and thinks Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing abortion access across the nation, should be restored. Nevertheless, she says she wouldn’t choose to have an abortion.
On health care, Killin thinks more people should be covered by insurance, but she doesn’t support Medicare for all. She thinks government intervention in prescription drug prices is one way to drive down costs and expand access.
When it comes to immigration, Killin said she thinks the Biden administration was too slow to close the border. She thinks Trump has gotten it right in shutting down the U.S.-Mexico border, but she called his deportation measures “immoral and, in my mind, illegal.”
The district has changed enough so that Jeff Crank’s win in 2024 is not the measure of the district. The Cook Political reports changed its assessment of the district from R+9 to R+5. That is a winnable figure for a well prepared and energetic Democratic candidate in a year when Democrats are likely to be winning elections.
Jessica Killin is also prepared financially. In the period leading up to September 30, she raised a million dollars and has almost $800,000 remaining. Her Democratic primary opponents are not in that league. One had $50,00 on September 30; the other had $10,000. The incumbent Republican, on the other hand, had raised almost exactly what Jessica Killin had raised and had almost exactly the same amount of money available on September 30.
This will be a close race. DONATE. Help Jessica Killin make this a race she could win
Other Colorado Races
While there are primaries which I prefer not to involve myself in, at least for now, there is no reason to think statewide positions are in jeopardy or the US Senate seat is in jeopardy.
Colorado 08. Democrats have their eyes on reclaiming this district – created for 2022 after the 2020 census and won by Democrats that year and then lost to now incumbent Gabe Evans in 2024. The leader among Democrats in the financial race is 30 year old attorney Manny Rutinel who had $1 million cash on hand in hand on September 30. I have not done the research to make a recommendation, but if you wanted to DONATE and attempt to create the focus on the general election you could.
Neighboring States
Wyoming: There are no races I can make donation recommendations for at this time.
Oklahoma: There are no races I can make donation recommendations for at this time.
Idaho: There are no races I can make donation recommendations for at this time.
Nevada:
Governor. Although he has a primary opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford will almost certainly be the Democratic nominee for governor. An African American, he was previously the State Senate Majority Leader. He is running in a toss up race against a Republican incumbent and former Sheriff Joe Lombardi. DONATE to elect Aaron Ford. See Len’s Political Note #745
Nevada 03. Three of Nevada’s four Members of Congress are Democrats. Each of them could be vulnerable, but in 2025 Susie Lee appears to be the most vulnerable. Elected in the Blue Wave of 2018. Hired by the Las Vegas mayor as a water specialist, she met and married a gambling mogul. She had been a philanthropist-wife focusing on education before running for Congress. Her 10,224 vote victory in 2024 was close enough to take her vulnerability seriously. DONATE to help her stay in the House
Nebraska:
US Senate. Independent Labor leader Dan Osborn is making his second attempt for the US Senate. The Democrats have again not put up a candidate. Dan Osborn lost to incumbent Republican Deb Fischer 53.2 to 46.5. This time he is running against incumbent multi-millionaire Pete Ricketts. It is possible that Dan Osborn could do better a second time. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #765
Nebraska 02. Incumbent Republican Don Bacon, informal leader of Republican moderates in the House is not running for reelection. At least five Democrats are running for this toss up seat. The leader in the financial race is activist and non-profit leader Denise Powell. You may want to DONATE in order to help the front runner put the focus on the general election.
Kansas
Governor. Incumbent Democratic governor Laura Kelly is term limited. She was elected in large part because Kansas’s experience with an extreme Republican governor, Sam Brownback, left the state eager to get back to financial normality. It would be a lot to expect Kansas to elect a second Democratic governor in a row, but state Senator Ethan Corson is worth supporting. At least eight Republicans are running for that nomination. If a Brownback follower gets nominated, Ethan Corson will have a shot. DONATE to his campaign.
Attorney General. Chris Mann, a national figure among those working to reduce drunk driving, Chris Mann was defeated 51-49 for the position in 2022 by Kris Kobach – one of the most extreme anti-immigrant figures in the country. Help Chris Mann win this time. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #752.
Kansas 03. The Kansas legislature has been considering redistricting its Congressional districts. They have several obstacles. Including a probable veto by the Governor. Another obstacle is Kansas’s only Democratic Member of Congress, Sharice Davids. She is a Native American, a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter, and a graduate of Cornell Law School who helped area tribes develop businesses. She is telling Kansas legislators that she would run for the US Senate if she were redistricted out of her seat. DONATE. Help her with her reelection. Or help her become Kansas’s Democratic Senator if redistricting becomes a reality.
