Incumbent Jeff Crank (R), Jessica Killin (D), and four other candidates are running in the general election for Colorado's 5th Congressional District on November 3, 2026.
Since the 5th District's creation in 1972, no Democrat has won election to represent it. The Denver Post's Elizabeth Hernandez said, "[N]ational Democrats have marked the race to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank as one to watch [because of] demographic shifts, falling approval for President Donald Trump and fired-up liberal voters." Crank won the 2024 election 54.7%–40.9%, while Trump won the district 53.2%–44.1% over Kamala Harris (D). As of July 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Likely Republican.
Crank was elected in 2024. He earlier worked as a radio show host, an executive at Americans for Prosperity, and a staffer to former U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.). In an interview with Colorado Politics, Crank said, "The question, and I think this will be one in this race, is, does this community just want somebody who’s anti-Trump to fight and push back on Trump? Or do they want somebody who, no matter who the president is, whether it’s Joe Biden or Donald Trump, is going to go try and work to represent this community and get the best things for this community that they can?"
Killin is a U.S. Army veteran, former executive with the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), and former political staffer to Reps. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), as well as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (D). In a statement, Killin said, "I'm running for Congress because Washington needs leaders who are focused on actually getting things done— not partisan name-calling and bitter culture wars. The Pikes Peak Region deserves results-oriented, competent leadership. Instead, Jeff Crank has let his constituents down, voting to kick thousands off healthcare while raising the national debt by trillions."
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.
Currently, Republicans have a 219-212 majority with four vacancies in the chamber.
Also running in the election are Christopher Mitchell (American Constitution Party), Steven Fuller (Unaffiliated), Roy Matthewson (Unaffiliated), and Matt Cavanaugh (Unaffiliated).
As of June 10, 2026, Crank had raised $2.00 million and Killin had raised $2.74 million.
