Jeff Crank, left, River Gassen, right. (Courtesy of Jeff Crank; Courtesy of River Gassen)
Republican Jeff Crank was well ahead of Democrat River Gassen in the race for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District seat, according to preliminary results Tuesday.
Crank would succeed U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, who announced his retirement in January. Lamborn served nine terms in Congress.
The 5th District is centered on Colorado Springs and strongly favors Republicans. Crank led with 54.8% of the vote a little before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Crank, a Colorado Springs resident, is a longtime political consultant and radio show host. He previously ran in the 5th District GOP primary in 2006 and 2008. He’s a former executive with the free-market organization Americans for Prosperity, and in the 1990s he served on the Washington staff of a previous 5th District representative, Joel Hefley.
In the June Republican primary Crank defeated Dave Williams, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party.
Gassen, also a Colorado Springs resident, is an educator at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. She said that if elected, she’d prioritize clear air and water, reproductive rights, veteran support services, LGBTQ rights, school safety and preventing gun violence.