By: Madeline Louisell (Head Layout Editor)
On the evening of Tuesday Nov. 3, supporters of Democratic congressional candidate Jessica Killin packed The Pinery at The Hill, hoping that they would watch the Army veteran make history as the first Democratic congressional candidate elected in Colorado Springs history.
Democrat Jessica Killin, a fourth-generation Coloradan, leads the race for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District against Republican incumbent Jeff Crank. A Killin win would mean a landmark victory for Democrats in what has historically been an entirely Republican-dominated district.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Killin’s campaign has not yet called the race. The New York Times projected she will beat Crank by a margin of 3.9 points. Both candidates held watch parties in Colorado Springs on election night. Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Crank’s campaign told supporters to leave his election watch party, according to The Colorado Sun. Crank did not speak at the event.
Carlos Chaparro, a Colorado College first-year, said “The energy in the room was just electric.” Killin’s campaign, he said, marks the beginning of representation for all of El Paso County, and finally puts a “check on this presidential administration.”
Sarah Emery, a Democrat running for State House of Representatives for the 14th House District,
historically one of the deepest red districts in the county, said, “People are tired of anger and division and chaos,” driven in part by growing fear mongering from the Trump administration.
Emery lost the race against Republican incumbent Ava Flanell. Despite the defeat, Emery’s campaign marked a greater trend toward what political analysts are calling a “blue wave,” as the 14th House District, which surrounds the Air Force Academy, was the closest election in a long time, she said. Traditionally, Democrats lose by a margin of about 20 points in the district, said Emery.
“Until March of this year, I had been an independent for the last 40 years,” said Oscar Vaughn, a military veteran and supporter of Killin. Now a registered Democrat, Vaughn’s shift is reflective of broader national concern about U.S. democracy being threatened by the Trump administration.
“I have children. I have grandchildren. My grandchildren have less rights than I and their grandparents do,” said Vaughn.
“This makes us a stronger America. This election is representative of that; it’s being able to bring a different voice to the table that can represent so many people in El Paso County who haven’t been heard,” said Kimberly Gold, city council member for Colorado Springs’ District 4.
Gold noted that Killin’s campaign marks a return to greater representation and diversity of voice for Southeast Colorado Springs, which Gold said has a population with lower life expectancy and socioeconomic status.
“The way Jessica Killin has shown up in the Southeast and the Southside, I just give her so many kudos. She is here to listen, and learn, and collaborate,” said Gold.
Fellow attendees of Killin’s watch party voiced similar concerns. “It’s all about democracy and law and order and following the Constitution,” said Kathy Brandt, a volunteer for Killin’s campaign, a member of the Colorado Springs steering committee and treasurer of Indivisible, a non-partisan, grassroots community organizing group. Brandt has spent recent months phone banking and canvassing for the campaign.
Editor’s Note: All information in this article is relevant as of our print deadline — 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Consult the Colorado Secretary of State’s website for updated information as more ballots are counted.
Madeleine Louisell is a volunteer for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser, who became governor-elect on Nov. 3. She also canvassed for Jessica Killin during her campaign.