Jessica Killin
Jessica Killin (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. She advanced from the Democratic primary on June 30, 2026.
Killin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jessica Killin served in the U.S. Army. She earned a high school diploma from Falcon High School and a law degree from Georgetown University. Killin's career experience includes working as an executive with USAA and in public service.[1][2]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the November 3 general election for Colorado's 5th Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
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."[3] Crank won the 2024 election 54.7%–40.9%, while Trump won the district 53.2%–44.1% over Kamala Harris (D).[4] 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.).[5] 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?"[6]
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).[7] 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."[8]
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 219-214 majority with two vacancies in the U.S. House.[9][10] To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.
Also running in the election are Christopher Mitchell (American Constitution Party), Steven Fuller (Unaffiliated), Roy Matthewson (Unaffiliated), and Matt Cavanaugh (Unaffiliated).
As of June 30, 2026, Crank had raised $2.18 million and Killin had raised $3.14 million.
Elections
2026
See also: Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 30 Republican primary)
Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 30 Democratic primary)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Colorado District 5
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jeff Crank (R) | |
 | Jessica Killin (D)  | |
 | Christopher Mitchell (American Constitution Party) | |
 | Mark Elworth Jr. (L) | |
| Roy Matthewson (Unaffiliated) | ||
| Matt Cavanaugh (Independent) | ||
 | Steven Fuller (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Jessica Killin defeated Joe Reagan in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jessica Killin | 63.2 | 33,144 |
 | Joe Reagan | 36.8 | 19,315 | |
| Total votes: 52,459 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michelle Tweed (D)
- Jamey Smith (D)
- Zurit Horowitz (D)
- Justice Lord (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Incumbent Jeff Crank advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Crank | 100.0 | 60,813 |
| Total votes: 60,813 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[11] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[12] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Crank (R) | Killin (D) | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | 45 | 44 | 11 | 450 LV | ± 4.6% | Jessica Killin | |
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | |||||||
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Crank | Republican Party | $2,177,288 | $778,793 | $1,465,048 | As of June 30, 2026 |
| Jessica Killin | Democratic Party | $3,143,744 | $1,551,102 | $1,592,642 | As of June 30, 2026 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[13][14][15]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Note: As of July 15, 2026, Steven Fuller (Unaffiliated) had not registered as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[16]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[17][18][19]
Last four weeks
Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. The table below shows the most recent four weeks of ratings until the election date, if available.
| Reviewing Body | September 8, 2026 | September 1, 2026 | August 25, 2026 | August 18, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
| Decision Desk | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
| Inside Elections | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Likely Republican |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
Change over time
The following table shows each date on which one or more rating outlets changed their rating.
| Date | Cook Political Report | Inside Elections | Sabato's Crystal Ball | Decision Desk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most recent rating | Likely Republican | Lean Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
| Changes throughout the cycle | ||||
| August 25, 2026 | Likely Republican | Lean Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
| July 21, 2026 | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican |
| January 20, 2026 | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Pending |
| April 15, 2025 | Solid Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Pending |
| March 18, 2025 | Solid Republican | Likely Republican | Pending | Pending |
| February 11, 2025 | Solid Republican | Pending | Pending | Pending |
Endorsements
Jessica Killin received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Killin's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jessica Killin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Killin's responses.
| Collapse all
- We are facing an affordability crisis in El Paso County. Families are struggling with the cost of housing, healthcare, childcare, and groceries, and recent spikes in gas prices driven by global conflict are adding more pressure.
I will end the harmful tariffs that are driving up prices, which Jeff Crank has repeatedly voted to protect. I will work to reverse Medicaid cuts that raise healthcare costs and take on drug and insurance companies to lower prescription prices and premiums. I will also expand housing supply in the Pikes Peak region to improve access for first-time homebuyers.
Long term, I will support policies that strengthen the middle class through a fairer tax code and an economy that makes the American Dream attainable. - We must restore integrity to our government and stop corruption across all three branches. Elected officials should work for the people, not for profit, and focus on service, accountability, and delivering results for their constituents. I will push to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks and strengthen ethics rules for federal judges and executive branch officials to prevent profiting from public office. I will also end Congressional pay during government shutdowns and create a truly independent Congressional Ethics Office with real enforcement power. Finally, we must overturn Citizens United and ban dark money to reduce the influence of corporations and special interests in our politics.
- As an Army veteran and former Military Police Officer, I understand the sacrifices my fellow veterans made for our nation. I am committed to ensuring veterans receive the care they have earned. With VA staffing shortages currently leading to decreased care and long wait times, I will fight to restore funding, increase clinic staffing, and reduce wait times. In Congress, I will prioritize fully staffing VA clinics, restoring funding for the Veterans Crisis Line to ensure 24/7 support, protecting military families from housing or employment discrimination, and collaborating with community partners to support veterans’ transition to civilian life.
It’s inexcusable that Jeff Crank’s budget raised the debt to nearly $40 trillion and paid for it by gutting healthcare for Coloradans, while creating tax loopholes for giant corporations that could allow them to pay ZERO in federal taxes. In Congress, I will fight to restore fiscal sanity, balance the budget, and pay down the national debt so that we don’t leave our children and grandchildren permanently indebted to China and the rest of the world
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Killin's campaign website stated the following:
A mom, a veteran, and a champion for responsible and responsive government, Jessica is running for Congress to deliver common-sense solutions for El Paso County. She knows that Washington isn’t working for Southern Colorado families, and Jessica refuses to sit on the sidelines.
Lowering Costs for Families
Jessica grew up in Colorado at a time when her parents, two public school educators, could afford a secure, middle-class life. That's not true anymore. With the chaotic tariffs that are making everyday goods more expensive and policies that are driving up the cost of everything from health care to utilities, something must change. Jessica will push back on these actions supported by Jeff Crank while working with members of both parties to implement a better future for Coloradans. Jessica will work to:
- End irrational tariffs that are raising prices and creating uncertainty for hardworking Coloradans
- Prevent oil and grocery company CEOs from gouging consumers
- Improve our affordable housing stock in the Pikes Peak region and stop corporate landlords and hedge funds from gouging people with higher rents and home prices
- Hold monopoly utility companies accountable to reduce electricity prices
- Lower energy costs by investing in more affordable energy production
- Build out a more robust middle class through a fairer and equitable tax and economic policy
Read more here: U.S. producer prices surge in July as Trump tariffs push costs higher | AP News
Restoring Integrity and Fighting Corruption in our Government
Jessica knows that our elected officials should work for the people, not for profit. Public servants should be focused on service – engaging with their constituents, holding townhalls, delivering results, and doing what is best for their communities and country. To restore the public’s fading faith in our institutions, Jessica will implement guardrails against the misuse of inside information and rebuild integrity in our government by working to:
- Ban public stock trading by members of Congress so they can’t use insider information to benefit themselves
- End Congressional pay during a shutdown – Congress should not receive paychecks if they can't do their job
- Create a new and more powerful Congressional Ethics Office that is truly independent to investigate and punish wrongdoing
- Create an expanded and strengthened ethics code for federal judges and executive branch leaders so they cannot profit from their positions
- Overturn Citizens United and ban dark money to end the outsized influence of corporations in our politics
Read more here: The Trump Family Has Pocketed More Than $1.8 Billion in Cash and Gifts Since 2024 Reelection | Center for American Progress
Supporting Our Veterans
Jessica attended college on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship before joining the U.S. Army. And for more than a decade, Jessica worked at USAA promoting policies to protect military families and veterans from the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis – streamlining VA home loans and seeking ways to stop payday lenders from preying on our soldiers. She knows the sacrifice her fellow veterans made in service to our nation.
That’s why in Congress, Jessica will ensure veterans receive all the benefits they have earned—starting with care at VA clinics. Right now, every single VA medical center in the country is reporting staffing shortages, leading to decreased care for our veterans, longer wait times, and missed appointments. She’ll fight to restore funding, increase staff, and reduce wait times at clinics. Jessica will be a steadfast advocate for El Paso County veterans and will work closely with those who need additional assistance to navigate the VA system. Jessica will work to:
- Increase staffing at VA clinics
- Ensure veterans receive the hard-earned benefits they deserve
- Restore full funding for the Veterans Crisis Line to ensure 24/7 access and support for those who served
- Protect military families from discrimination in housing or employment
- Work with community partners to help veterans transition from the military to civilian life
Read more here: 5 reasons federal cuts are hitting veterans especially hard | PBS News
Bringing Down the Cost of Health Care and Prescription Drugs
Millions of Americans rely on Medicare and Medicaid. Jeff Crank cast one of the deciding votes to slash Medicaid, which will kick hundreds of thousands of our neighbors off their health care plans, close Colorado hospitals and nursing homes, and raise costs for all Coloradans. Jessica will fight to restore access to healthcare for the thousands who will lose it in El Paso County, while protecting patients with pre-existing conditions and working to bring down healthcare and prescription drug costs for every Coloradan. Jessica will work to:
- Repeal Medicaid cuts that will kick hundreds of thousands in our state off health care and force all Colorado families to pay more
- Protect Medicare from further cuts and ensure the long-term financial stability of the program
- Allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for more critical drugs
- Cap the price of insulin at $35 for everyone
- Hold drug companies accountable for price gouging
Read more here: Colorado health insurance rates expected to skyrocket after budget bill slashes health spending
Restoring Fiscal Responsibility to Congress
No parent wants to leave their children with a mountain of debt. Jessica definitely doesn't. She knows it's time to get the national debt under control and leave a legacy of opportunity for future generations. Bloated spending isn’t acceptable, but neither are bloated tax cuts. Jeff Crank’s tax cut for the wealthiest Americans just saddled our children and grandchildren with an additional $4 trillion in debt.
Jessica thinks it’s inexcusable that Jeff Crank’s budget raised the debt while creating tax loopholes for giant corporations that could allow them to pay ZERO in federal taxes. In Congress, Jessica will fight to restore fiscal sanity, balance the budget, and pay down the national debt so that we don’t leave our children and grandchildren permanently indebted to China and the rest of the world.
Jessica also knows that fiscal responsibility means boosting, not holding back, American innovation and the jobs that come with it. This means fighting to shape the industries of the future so that they both grow our economy and strengthen middle-class families – from high-tech manufacturing to artificial intelligence to digital assets. This includes setting clear guidelines, standards, and rules of the road for the use of AI and emerging digital assets that establish long-term certainty and allow critical industries to grow, while also putting in place effective and fair oversight and protections for Colorado consumers and workers. Jessica will always be dedicated to ensuring the United States keeps its worldwide lead in emerging technologies, which is critical to the future security of our country. Jessica will work to:
- Measure every government program for results and eliminate the ones that don’t work
- Make giant corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share of taxes while cutting taxes for the middle class
- Level the playing field for Colorado small businesses and entrepreneurs so they can compete fairly and improve our economy
Read more here: US national debt hits record $37 trillion
Safeguarding Our Public Lands
Jessica grew up camping, hiking, skiing, and fishing in Colorado's public lands. It's a tradition she's passing along to her children – and it's a legacy that Jeff Crank has put at risk.
Jeff Crank joined Lauren Boebert in voting to sell our public lands to the highest bidder. Jessica thinks we should protect Colorado’s way of life for future generations. In Congress, she’ll be a fierce advocate for our National Parks, Forests, and open spaces, and she’ll stand up to anyone who wants to take them away. Jessica will work to:
- Preserve federal lands used by Coloradans and oppose efforts to sell them off
- Ensure our National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management have the resources they need to protect and preserve our open spaces
- Boost wildland firefighter resources and modernize strategies to fight wildfires and protect Colorado communities
Read more here: Congress almost sold off 500,000 acres of Western public lands. What could that mean for Colorado?
Protecting the Space Industry and Colorado Springs
El Paso County is a critical hub for the aerospace and defense industry, anchored by world-class military installations and a specialized workforce. Jeff Crank failed to do his job and fight to keep Space Command where it belongs in Colorado Springs. Jessica will fight to protect and foster the space industry to promote and build space industry jobs to ensure the Pikes Peak Region remains a leader for space innovation, despite Crank’s failures. Jessica will work to:
- Stand up to partisan political games and work to ensure national security decisions based on mission readiness, national security interests, the safety of our troops, and data – not politics
- Collaborate with military leaders, industry partners, and the veteran community to speak with one strong, united voice advocating for Colorado’s space industry
- Secure funding and grants for critical infrastructure upgrades and improvements to modernize our infrastructure, making El Paso County the most competitive environment for aerospace innovation in the world
- Protect the Air Force Academy from additional cuts to ensure our national security
Read more here: Trump announces that Space Command is moving to Alabama from Colorado Springs, saying Colorado's use of mail-in voting was "big factor"
— Jessica Killin's campaign website (July 17, 2026)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Colorado District 5 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Killin for Colorado, "About Jessica," accessed June 29, 2026
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 27, 2026
- ↑ The Denver Post, "2 Army vets vie for chance to unseat U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank: ‘This is not your mother’s Colorado Springs’," June 11, 2026
- ↑ The Downballot, "The Downballot's calculations of presidential election results by congressional district, sponsored by Grassroots Analytics," April 23, 2025
- ↑ Jeff Crank official website, "About," accessed July 17, 2026
- ↑ Colorado Politics, "Rep. Jeff Crank thinks Democrats are too focused on Trump, not enough on Colorado Springs | Vince Bzdek," June 20, 2026
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Jessica Killin," accessed July 17, 2026
- ↑ Jessica Killin 2026 campaign website, "Jessica Killin, Fourth-Generation Coloradan and U.S. Army Veteran, Launches Campaign for Congress," July 15, 2026
- ↑ Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) caucuses with the Republicans.
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, when there are no vacancies, is 218 seats.
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
