Longtime radio host and conservative activist Jeff Crank, 57, hopes to answer the question in the Nov. 5 election with a deep crimson result befitting the historic GOP stronghold, which now covers most of El Paso County.

Democrat River Gassen, 27, an instructor and research assistant at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ BioFrontiers Center, hopes to turn recent streaks of blue there into an azure upset — and, in the process, become the district����ap first-ever Democratic member of Congress.

For nine terms, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn has reliably won reelection, representing the state’s second-largest city. He announced in January that he wouldn’t seek another term, opening the seat for a fresh contest — though it’s still a district the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as “solid Republican.”

On issues typically at the top of voters’ concerns, the two fall along expected partisan lines.

Gassen lists federal protections for abortion rights as a top priority; Crank describes himself as “a proud pro-life advocate.”

“I’m getting a little tired of hearing this ‘states’ rights’ narrative,” Gassen said. “I don’t think states’ rights really has anything to do with women’s rights. I think it’s just kind of an escape so people can say they’re pro-life, so to speak, without trying to sound sexist.”

On immigration, Crank called the bipartisan border bill that died in Congress earlier this year “a ruse.” He advocates for more aggressive deportations of convicted criminals and stricter limits on how many people can cross the border.

Gassen supported that bill as a way to provide resources for asylum seekers and border security, though she said she’d rather it be “a little bit more progressive” by focusing on boosting resources to process asylum requests.

“I know people want to say, ‘Are you for or against mass deportations?’ ” Crank said in a recent interview. “Starting with the criminals who came here, the terrorists, others — let’s figure out who those people are, and let’s get them the heck out of here. They don’t belong in the United States. Let’s start with that, and then we’ll keep working through the list.”

On economics, Gassen defends the Inflation Reduction Act, a signature accomplishment from President Joe Biden’s administration, and the strategy of using government spending to spur economic activity. Crank sees government spending as spurring the recent inflation crisis.

Crank calls himself a Republican close to the mold of former President Ronald Reagan, while Gassen says her politics most closely align with those of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Three other candidates are on the ballot: Christopher Mitchell, affiliated with the American Constitution Party; Christopher Sweat, from the Forward Party; and Michael Keith Vance, a Libertarian.

Among the major-party candidates, the district’s recent history suggests Crank has a distinct advantage. Lamborn, the outgoing Republican, is retiring following the narrowest general election win of his career: A 16-percentage-point shellacking of his Democratic opponent in 2022.

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump by 11 percentage points while losing the state by a 13.5-point margin to Biden.

But both candidates see a crossroads in this election.

Gassen sees a strong local Democratic ticket, from state House races to county commissioner bids, as a group effort that supports all the candidates. The district has been seeing pockets of blue, particularly in Colorado Springs, that just haven’t spread to federal elections yet, Gassen said.

It����ap a presidential year, too, which typically bodes well for Democrats, and voters in Colorado will be seeing abortion on the ballot with Amendment 79, which could galvanize abortion-rights supporters who want to elevate protections to the state constitution. Anecdotally, she says she’s seeing fewer Trump flags than years past.

“I do feel like even the Republicans here in Colorado Springs are tired of the Trump party,” Gassen said.

Crank, for his part, steers away from the label of MAGA Republican — short for the Trump campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” — even as he has celebrated Trump’s endorsement and many of the former president����ap achievements as he seeks the White House again. In June, Republican primary voters likewise soundly rejected Dave Williams, Crank’s primary opponent — and the state GOP’s chairman — who tied himself as closely as possible to Trump.

Crank instead styles himself as a “happy warrior,” closer to the style of Reagan and former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, the last Republican to win a statewide federal election in Colorado, than the combative conservatism of today.

The race also proves a test for the future of the party in Colorado, he said. Historically, for Republicans, winning a statewide victory has meant running up the tally in El Paso County. If Crank loses, the party’s “in pretty, pretty bad shape” across the board, he said. A loss would also disprove his theory of positive, principled conservatism.

“The Republican Party has gotten away, in some cases, from nominating good candidates — from nominating candidates that can appeal to the voters of Colorado,” Crank said. “I would argue you don’t have to give up your principles to do that.”

“We must always resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box — not through violence,” Rep. Steven Woodrow said in a statement Monday morning. “I know people are hurting, and (I) apologize that my words caused additional pain.”

Shortly after a gunman injured Trump and killed an attendee at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally Saturday night, Woodrow — a frequent X user who has regularly criticized Republicans on the platform — posted that the “last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil but here we are.”

He immediately drew criticism for the post, and later that night he deleted his X account. Colorado Democratic Party chair Shad Murib Woodrow’s post.

In his statement Monday, Woodrow condemned the attempt on Trump’s life and said that his post, “inarticulate as it was,” sought to convey that “acts of violence like this are awful and only make it more likely that Trump now wins” the election.

Other Colorado politicians denounced the attack, which killed retired fire chief and father Corey Comperatore and left Trump bloodied after he said a bullet damaged his ear; two rally spectators also were injured.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a Saturday statement that he was glad Trump was doing well and that “violence is never acceptable.” He also for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a move echoed by others that on Monday. Democratic U.S. Reps. Brittany Pettersen, Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Yadira Caraveo and Jason Crow all issued similar statements.

So, too, did U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and an array of local and state elected officials.

Republican U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn and Greg Lopez both posted on X that they were praying for Trump’s recovery.

Crow told CBS on Sunday that “violence could spiral out of control” and that “leadership requires that we all step back. Enough is enough. We cannot do this.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert expressed support and prayers for Trump on X, while blaming Biden for the attack and reposting social media messages that explicitly — and baselessly — blamed Democrats for attempting to kill the former president.

The gunman has been identified as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man; for opening fire on Trump.

State Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican, posted on X that Biden should be investigated for “criminal incitement of violence.” He wrote that he “would expect” Woodrow to resign over his comment, though he told that he understood getting caught up in an emotional moment. (Soper clarified to The Denver Post Monday evening that he wasn’t calling on Woodrow to resign.)

Patrick Neville, a former Republican lawmaker and one-time minority leader in the state House, that he didn’t agree with Woodrow’s comments. But he suggested that the Denver Democrat and his family had received threats since Saturday and that those threats “are more deplorable than what (Woodrow) said.”

Calls for softening inflammatory rhetoric are not new to Colorado’s state legislative leaders, who have long struggled with lawmakers’ social media postings.

Republican state Reps. Brandi Bradley and Ryan Armagost both criticized Woodrow on X over the weekend, too. Earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers criticized both Bradley and Armagost for repeatedly using social media to accuse their colleagues of supporting pedophiles. Democratic legislators said they received death threats as a result of those postings.

Crank had 46,317 votes, or 67% of the total, to 22,387 votes for Williams, or 33%, in results posted to the Colorado secretary of state’s website as of 8:55 p.m. The Associated Press for Crank at about 8:20 p.m. The candidates were competing for the nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn in the 5th Congressional District in a bruising primary race that highlighted deepening rifts in the GOP.

In the Democratic primary, River Gassen narrowly defeated Joe Reagan. She had 20,717 votes, or 50.6%, to Reagan’s 20,235 votes, or 49.4% of the total, as of Wednesday afternoon. The Associated Press for Gassen at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.

The winners of the contests will face off in November. The Republican winner will start the general election race with a leg up in the historically conservative district. It’s the first time in nearly 20 years that Lamborn, a Republican who previously beat both Williams and Crank in party primaries, hasn’t sought the seat.

“We have a country to save from Joe Biden’s Open Border Crisis and the failure of Democrats’ economic policy,” Crank said in a statement after the race was called. “… We must unite as a party, elect President Trump, and fight for our country.”

Williams did not immediately return a request for comment after the race had been called.

Crank and Williams largely aligned on policy and politics, but their different approaches underscored the tensions facing the Colorado Republican Party.

Crank, a longtime radio host and vice president with the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, sought to keep the focus on fighting Democratic priorities and tightening border security and immigration. Williams, the state party chair since early last year, cast himself as a no-holds-barred conservative ready to fight even fellow Republicans.

Williams’ hardline stances as party chair led to outrage among some Republicans across the state. In June, the party sent an email titled “God hates pride” that smeared the LGBTQ+ community. That resulted in widespread condemnation, with some prominent Republicans and county parties calling for Williams’ ouster.

Meanwhile, mailers paid for by the party sought to bolster Williams’ campaign and tear down Crank. A splash ad on the state GOP’s website featured a smiling picture of Williams and former President Donald Trump under the slogan MAGA, while Crank was pictured under the word “globalist.”

It appeared to backfire with some voters, including one who hosted a meet-and-greet with Crank explicitly because they didn’t like party resources going to attack fellow Republicans.

It’s unclear how much party money or resources went to boost Williams. The last federal filing by the party showed nearly $20,000 went to support Williams’ candidacy, though the treasurer for the party and Williams’ campaign said the party wasn’t out any money.

The political action committee for Americans for Prosperity, meanwhile, spent to attack Williams’ candidacy, though Crank said the group erected a firewall between him and its political side as soon as he announced his candidacy. More than $2.5 million has been spent in that race, most of which was to support Crank or attack Williams, according to Open Secrets.

Party Chair Dave Williams, a former state representative, is seeking the GOP nomination for the El Paso County-based 5th Congressional District seat against longtime conservative activist Jeff Crank.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn announced earlier this year he wouldn’t seek re-election, creating an open seat in the heavily Republican district for the first time in nearly 20 years. The primary election is Tuesday.

The fight has moved beyond the usual debate about who the right Republican for the job is, though, as the party lifted rules against endorsing candidates in primary campaigns. It then lent institutional support to a group of its preferred candidates, including Williams.

At a recent Crank event, supporters cried foul as they waved pro-Williams attack mailers that were paid for by the party to tear down a fellow Republican. A Republican consultant has also filed a Federal Elections Commission complaint alleging Williams is using the party coffers as a “slush fund” for his campaign.

, published at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, was the first to attach a dollar amount of the state GOP’s support to Williams’ campaign. The $19,445 was listed as a coordinated party expenditure. Those types of expenditures are generally when the party pays for goods or services in coordination with a candidate but does not give the money directly to the candidate, .

However, it lists the party both making the expenditure and as the recipient of the money. Tom Bjorklund, who is treasurer for both the Colorado GOP and Williams’ campaign, said in a text message that the state party “is not out a single penny.”

“Rest assured, the GOP is in the black,” Bjorklund said. “The Party isn’t out any money and our balance sheets and subsequent disclosure filings will show a net positive for Colorado Republicans.”

Williams’ next campaign finance filing, due July 15, will clear up any questions, he said.

Williams himself did not comment for this story. He earlier this week that “there has been no direct spending from the party for myself or any of the other candidates.”

In a statement, Crank campaign adviser Nick Trainer called the expenditure “just another example of the deception and outright lying of Dave Williams.”

“He claims he has the best interest of Republicans in mind, yet he uses limited party resources to personally enrich himself instead of beating Democrats,” Trainer said. “… Dave Williams is a corrupt liar and on Tuesday, voters in El Paso County will reject him.”

Crank’s campaign raising about $510,000 through early June. That’s double Williams’ $251,000 total , which includes a $100,000 loan. Williams has also faced a deluge of outside money against his candidacy, with one group spending more than $1.2 million to oppose him.

Crank, who is a vice president for conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, has meanwhile benefited from more than $110,000 spent by that group’s political arm, according to FEC records.

Williams has courted other controversy recently in his role as head of the state party.

In early June, the state party sent an anti-LGBTQ+ email titled “God hates Pride,” which brought widespread condemnation and a push by several county Republican parties to oust Williams from state party leadership. Nancy Pallozzi, who led the push to force a meeting by the state central committee to consider ousting Williams, later faced censure by Jefferson County Republicans for going outside the party structure.

It didn’t halt similar efforts, though. On Tuesday, the Weld County Republican Executive Committee voted nearly unanimously to call for a state meeting about Williams’ leadership. Tom Van Lone, chair of the Weld County party, said in an interview the vote was both a show of moral support for Pallozzi’s effort and “to let the world know we don’t believe in alienating voters.”

But some things have stayed the same — including in U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s current district, long after she announced she would run in a different part of the state.

Adam Frisch, the sole Democratic contender in the Boebert-represented 3rd Congressional District, once again hauled in the largest take of any Colorado congressional candidate from April 1 to June 5, with just over $1 million collected. That continues a trend of big fundraising by his campaign, which has amassed more than $14 million from donors over the last 18 months.

Across the state, in Colorado’s reddest district — where Boebert is now running — Democratic contender Ike McCorkle brought in an impressive $462,000 since the start of April. He even outgunned Boebert, the top GOP fundraiser in the race, by more than $100,000.

Whether that kind of cash can translate into a McCorkle primary win in the 4th Congressional District is yet to be seen. And a Democratic victory in November, in a district where Republicans have a major numerical advantage, would be an upset.

But it shows a serious play by Democratic backers for a district that hasn’t elected a representative from their party to Congress since 2008. Besides the Boebert effect, McCorkle likely has also benefited from the name recognition brought by two previous runs for the seat.

The deadline for the latest campaign fundraising reports was Thursday. Here are some takeaways from candidates’ filings in the multiple-candidate primary races in Colorado.

3rd Congressional District

Frisch, unopposed in the Democratic primary, continued his dominance in the money game. His $1 million take starting April 1 was far more than all six of the Republican candidates’ fundraising combined during the period.

He came close to beating Boebert in 2022, and his big campaign war chest initially was filled by a desire from Democrats to take her out this year in the sprawling, mostly Western Slope district that encompasses Grand Junction, Durango and Pueblo. Though she left the race at the end of 2023 to try her hand in the more conservative 4th District, Frisch’s fierce fundraising fury continues to outpace everyone else in the state.

The Republican side was led by Colorado State Board of Education member Stephen Varela, who posted $193,000 in receipts in the most recent period. He eclipsed Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd, who has attracted several high-profile endorsements from party elders.

Hurd collected $151,000 in the most recent reporting period and still holds a more than 2-to-1 edge in cash on hand over Varela.

4th Congressional District

Boebert is far and away the fundraising leader among the half-dozen Republican candidates fighting for the party’s nomination in the district, which covers much of the Eastern Plains as well as Douglas County. She collected nearly $334,000 since April 1. Her next-closest competitor was former radio host Deborah Flora, of Parker, who reported just over $70,000 in donations.

Boebert’s campaign received a boost from an independent poll released earlier this month showing her with a substantial lead over her Republican rivals in the June 25 primary, though a large share were undecided.

State Rep. Mike Lynch landed a cool $54,000 during the latest reporting period, besting Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg’s $43,000 haul. Bringing up the tail were state Rep. Richard Holtorf, with $10,150, and Weld County businessman Peter Yu, who took in just $225 over the last two months.

While McCorkle, a Marine veteran from Parker, did the best of all candidates from both parties in raising money in the 4th District, the Democrat’s cash on hand ($163,000) badly trailed Boebert’s nearly $700,000 war chest, as of June 5.

His opponents in the Democratic primary, Trisha Calvarese and John Padora, took in $99,000 and $55,000, respectively, during the period. Calvarese, a union advocate and National Science Foundation writer, is also running in the 4th District’s special election against Republican Greg Lopez, a former Parker mayor, to fill out the rest of the term of former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, who resigned in March.

5th Congressional District

The money advantage in the district where Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn is retiring belongs to conservative Colorado Springs activist and longtime radio host Jeff Crank. He more than doubled the take of his GOP rival — and head of the state’s Republican Party — Dave Williams.

Crank reported $208,000 in donations in the most recent fundraising period, versus $79,000 for Williams. Those totals were collected before Williams sent out an email to party members disparaging the LBGT community, which has led several county GOP party heads in Colorado to demand he resign.

The two Democrats in the 5th District primary — River Gassen and Joe Reagan — together collected about half of what Williams reported in donations. The district is a Republican stronghold centered on El Paso County.

8th Congressional District

Neither GOP contender in Colorado’s newest congressional district came close to raising what U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo raised over the last two-plus months. The first-term Democrat added nearly $558,000 to her campaign account, ending the period with about $2.3 million in cash on hand.

In November, she will face either state Rep. Gabe Evans, who collected more than $121,000 since April 1, or retired physician and former state lawmaker Janak Joshi, who reported more than $63,000 in donations. Fifty thousand dollars of Joshi’s total was a loan he made to his campaign.

The 8th District race, which includes northern Denver suburbs and Greeley, was one of the tightest congressional contests in the country in 2022, its maiden year as a district. Caraveo beat her Republican opponent by approximately 1,600 votes — a less than 1 percentage point separation.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

On one side of the GOP primary is Dave Williams, who was elected state party chair last year and now running for Congress. He claims the mantle of the bare-knuckle conservative fighter — and, in doing so, is leveraging the party’s resources to sling invectives at his opponent.

On the other is his rival, Jeff Crank, a longtime radio host and vice president with the influential conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, with a comparatively simple pitch: Let’s push the Republican cause forward, without turning the party against itself.

Both men have run for the seat before, and both lost to retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn in primary races. The seat is now open for the first time in nearly 20 years, guaranteeing that in the June 25 primary, one of them will finally secure the Republican nomination.

On issues, the two don’t seem far apart. Both tout endorsements that underscore their opposition to abortion and their Second Amendment bona fides on gun rights, and both list immigration as the top issue on their campaign websites.

Crank, 57, acknowledged the similarities at a campaign event Tuesday when he took questions from the audience. But voters might not know it from some of the campaign literature, he suggested, and joked that reading some of the claims caused him to second-guess even his own support for his candidacy.

Williams, 37, did not respond to requests for an interview for this story.

The winner of the primary in the longtime Republican stronghold will face the nominee who emerges from the 5th District’s Democratic primary, which features River Gassen and Joe Reagan.

Crank, who disputed any notion that he falls short on conservative principles at his event, repeatedly has called for Republican unity and an end to intraparty fighting.

While referring to some of Williams’ attacks, Crank said during his event: “I’m not here to tell you that Dave Williams, my opponent, is going to grab your guns. He’s not. He’s pro-Second Amendment, I’m pro-Second Amendment.”

The Colorado Republican Party website’s , meanwhile, opened in recent days to a party newsletter that shows a picture of Crank under the word “,” while featuring Williams and former President Donald Trump under the “MAGA” slogan. Trump in the race, as have U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, the El Paso County Republican Party and, of course, the state party — which this year has weighed in on primary races to an unusual degree.

Crank has backing from Republican U.S. House Speaker , former Gov. Bill Owens and Lamborn.

Crank underscored his other conservative tenets to supporters, among them a firm opposition to abortion — except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother’s life — and support for the restoration of Trump’s so-called “Remain in Mexico” closed-border policy. He said it would discourage migrants from making the treacherous journey to the United States.

During hosted by Colorado Springs media earlier this month, a moderator asked exactly what separates the two.

Williams responded that he would fight against Democrats and LGBTQ+ Pride events and for Trump, “especially in light of this rigged verdict” in the recent hush-money trial. Crank, by contrast, would be another Washington insider, Williams alleged — emphasizing his ties to Americans for Prosperity, the advocacy organization founded by conservative billionaire Charles Koch and his brother.

“We need to start electing people that are going to take the fight to Democrats and not be timid,” Williams said.

Crank retorted that Williams, instead, is the very definition of an establishment politician: a former state lawmaker and current head of the state Republican Party who’s now looking for a seat in Congress.

Williams sparks GOP revolt

It����ap in his current role that Williams has divided his fellow Republicans, with some going so far as calling for his resignation while others have filed formal complaints with the Federal Election Commission.

Lisa Brandt, who hosted the Tuesday meet and greet for Crank in Black Forest, started the event by waving around some mailers that slammed Crank and boosted Williams.

In the top corner of the ads, a disclosure was printed: Paid for by the Colorado Republican Committee, the formal name of the state party.

“The mudslinging in politics really bothers me, personally,” Brandt told the crowd. “I think it����ap childish. But what really bothers me, in addition to that, is that the mudslinging is now, I guess, paid for by the Colorado Republican Committee.”

Kelly Maher, a Republican consultant in Denver and executive director of a political action committee aimed at integrity in politics, filed a complaint with the FEC this spring, alleging that Williams was using the party as a “” for his campaign.

She expects a lengthy process before official action is taken on the complaint but said she wanted to draw a line in the sand.

“(Williams is) flipping the proverbial middle finger to everybody,” Maher said. “Every member of the Republican Party, every other candidate, every other voter. I wish I had the correct adjective for it. Brazen isn’t even enough.”

Williams’ behavior as chair has crossed lines with other Republicans, too, including some predecessors as state party chair. Nancy Pallozzi, chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, calling for Williams’ resignation over the party’s recent call to burn all LGBTQ+ Pride flags. She sought a special meeting of the party central committee to force a vote to replace him, and it’s attracted support from some state lawmakers and congressional candidates. She was censured for the effort late Thursday because she went outside the county party’s executive committee.

“This was about protecting the Republicans in the state and saying that this is not what Republicans stand for,” Pallozzi said. “We are not about hate, and we are not about burning Pride flags or any flags for that matter — and that tweet was just horrible.”

In the June 6 debate, Williams doubled down on his anti-Pride statements and framed it as a religious battle.

“It����ap come high time that we fight back against these people and start doing what the Lord would have us do,” Williams said. “… Do you want a feckless person that’s not going to stand up to the Pride Nazis that want to shove this wicked agenda down your throat and your kids’ (throat)?”

Crank, for his part, declares that there are only two genders — a shot against the concept of non-conforming gender identities — and stands against gender-affirming health care for children, while adding: “I don’t know that you can call it ‘care.’ ”

He stands against any state or federal resources going to such care, he said, and promised to at the debate to fight “the woke nonsense at our schools.” He also said at the meet and greet that adults in this country are free people who can otherwise make their own choices.

Outside money bolsters Crank

Crank has been a strong fundraiser, reporting about $507,000 in total contributions from individuals and political action committees through June 5, according to a pre-primary report filed Thursday. Williams, as of his new report, has reported raising a total of nearly $237,000 in contributions through June 5, but that includes a $100,000 candidate loan. Williams had slightly more money left for the final weeks, about $148,000 to Crank’s nearly $137,000.

It����ap not apparent from federal election filings how much money the state party has spent to boost Williams’ campaign, and that report isn’t due until next week.

But other independent expenditures have almost universally benefited Crank.

About $2.25 million has been spent either to explicitly support Crank or to oppose Williams’ candidacy, according to FEC filings. More than half of that spending has been by America Leads Action, a super-PAC that����ap received support from former Walmart chairman and Denver Broncos co-owner Rob Walton and other conservative activists.

Another $475,000 has come from Americans for Prosperity Action, the political arm of Crank’s employer.

But Crank rejects the idea of any parallel between that spending and the state party’s explicit support of Williams. The Americans for Prosperity PAC exists to get involved in races, and Crank said he was immediately “firewalled” from its activity as soon as he declared his candidacy.

Americans for Prosperity’s PAC is “free to go and raise money … to elect principled conservative candidates,” Crank said — adding that Williams would be, too, if he started a PAC.

“But that����ap not what (Williams has) done. He’s hijacked the party to attack members of that party, and that����ap just unethical,” Crank said.

The district is historically one of the reddest in the state, having gone for Lamborn by more than 15 percentage points in 2022. But Democrats and independent candidates have made inroads there in recent years, with some Colorado Springs legislative seats flipping blue and Colorado Springs electing political independent Yemi Mobolade as mayor last year.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

Lamborn went on to serve in Congress for 17 years despite facing primary challenges every two years from those frustrated by the congressman’s incompetence.

Colorado Republicans are at risk of making the same mistake – two times — this June in the critical primaries for Lamborn’s 5th Congressional District and the 4th Congressional District where incumbent Ken Buck is retiring.

Bosom buddies and political extremists Lauren Boebert and Dave Williams could win with a minority of support in two districts where long-time Republican incumbents have retired. Boebert and Williams are benefitting from the fact that Williams is the chair of the Colorado Republican Party and he is willing to shamelessly use party resources to tip the scales in this election for himself and for Boebert, both of whom the party has endorsed .

These ethical transgressions are compounded by the fact that Boebert abandoned the Western Slope announcing she would not run again in a district she almost lost in 2022, but instead selecting to run in CD4. It has every appearance of a backroom deal meant to ensure a Republican wins Congressional District 3 while giving Boebert a clear shot to win in a district where she didn’t live.

Allowing the minority of far-right voters in Congressional District 4 to select the worst possible candidate where no one on the ballot tops 30% of the vote, will have a lasting impact. The power of the incumbency is simply too strong in this nation.

Several of the candidates in these races do have a clear path to victory but it requires unaffiliated voters casting ballots this month in near-record numbers and other candidates bowing out gracefully so the more moderate vote isn’t split.

In Colorado’s redrawn 4th Congressional District, State Rep. Mike Lynch, a small business owner in Loveland, has the clearest path to victory over Boebert.

Lynch is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his campaign is off to a bit of a slow start because he was busy working to pass bipartisan laws as a state Representative.

He is best suited to defeat Ike McCorkle, also a veteran, in the General Election in November. Recent internal polls (less reliable than public polls) have shown that while many voters in CD4 are undecided, more say they would support McCorkle than Boebert in November.

In Colorado, unaffiliated voters can choose to cast their ballot in either the Democratic or the Republican primary. Lynch said that unaffiliated voters make up a large chunk of Congressional District 4 and winning those voters’ support is crucial to a victory over Boebert.

A few short years ago, the idea of a Democrat winning in the heavily Republican district which encompasses suburbs north and south of Denver and the vast Eastern Plains would have seemed unthinkable. But the district was redrawn, and Boebert is an outsider carrying embarrassing baggage to her new “hometown” where she’s lived for a time span best measured in weeks, not months or years.

In El Paso County’s Congressional District 5, it is Jeff Crank who has the best shot at keeping Williams out of office.

Crank, a conservative talk radio host, lost to Lamborn in 2006 drawing a close 25.4% of the vote. Had Bentley Rayburnwithdrawn from the race, Crank would have won.

Now, nearly two decades later Crank has a chance to serve in Congress if Republicans can keep from splitting the moderate vote. Lamborn has endorsed Crank even though both Rayburn and Crank tried to oust Lamborn in subsequent elections.

Times have changed, and the stakes are even higher. Lamborn, a reliable member of the Freedom Caucus, looks like John McCain compared to Dave Williams, just as Ken Buck has become somewhat of a moral guidepost for Republicans led astray by President Donald Trump’s lies. Both Republicans bowed out, in part because of this extremism, even if, unlike Buck, Lamborn won’t say that out loud.

Colorado’s open primaries are one step in the election reform required to shut down this endless cycle of extremism. If voters put it to good use in just a few short weeks, these districts can get the conservative representation they want without the ethical lapses, conspiracy theories, and bizarre behavior they don’t deserve.

Megan Schrader is the editor of The Denver Post opinion pages.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

The proposal, which would affect guard units in several states, is aimed at bolstering the newest military branch. In Colorado, that would mean moving members of the guard who fall under Polis’ authority into the federal military service.

But Polis, along with Democratic members of the state’s delegation, warns that such a transfer would undermine local authority and emergency readiness, while undercutting the will of members of the guard who didn’t sign up for that branch. Officials from many other states have protested, too.

The Air Force is seeking approval from Congress to explicitly waive a requirement that it obtain governors’ approval before transferring Air National Guard units to the Space Force.

The move, dubbed , was submitted by the Air Force to be included in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, the legislation that sets military policy. It is set to be considered by the House Armed Services Committee this week, though it still faces a monthslong journey — with looming debate and amendments in both chambers of Congress — before becoming law.

None of Colorado’s members of Congress who signed the letter sit on the House or Senate armed services committees. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican who is retiring at the end of this term and did not sign the letter, does have a committee seat.

If the transfer of guard personnel were to take effect as proposed, all 393 members of the Colorado Air National Guard’s 233rd Space Group would need to either cross-train into a new specialty or be absorbed into the Space Force, according to Tech Sgt. Stephanie Zimmerman, a spokesperson for the guard. Their job duties include space operations; cyberspace; physician assistants; heating, ventilating and cooling specialists; emergency management; and more.

Colorado officials hope to strip the provision from the bill before it picks up any momentum.

A signed by all of the Democrats in Colorado’s federal delegation and led by Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat and former Army Ranger, called it a “deeply flawed legislative proposal” that would “undermine our National Guard system.” Republicans from other states were among the signatories.

The letter goes on to note that guardsmen and women serve the dual roles of maintaining military readiness for national security while also being prepared to respond to domestic emergencies such as natural disasters, health emergencies and civil unrest.

“To be clear: when individuals sign up for the National Guard, they are serving their country and their community,” , emphasizing those last words. “Congress shouldn’t abandon this model.”

Polis to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that was signed by most every other state and territorial governor in the country. He wrote a to Austin to oppose the legislation “in the strongest possible terms.”

“As (the Colorado Air National Guard’s) Commander-in-Chief, I cannot stand idly by as the servicemembers I am charged with leading are faced with the decision to either leave military service, or serve in a manner that they did not originally agree to,” Polis wrote. “We know that a significant majority of Air National Guard space operators will not transfer to the U.S. Space Force, putting both their military career and national security at risk.”

In a letter responding to concerns from the governors association, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall wrote that all units transferred to the Space Force under the proposal would remain in their current location.

He also said the intention was not to set a precedent for transferring other units out of the National Guard or to undermine the “critical role of governors.”

Rather, the move would help stand up the first new military service since the immediate aftermath of World War II. The Space Force already has taken over space missions previously performed by other branches of the military and now wants to integrate the space missions performed by the Air National Guard, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Denver Post.

“These missions — and the professionals who perform them — are essential to the unity of command and mission success of the U.S. Space Force,” Kendall wrote to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who chairs the National Governors Association. Polis is the association’s vice chair.

Colorado has played a prominent role as the military has established the Space Force. is headquartered in Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Air National Guard is based at in Aurora, though it has personnel throughout the state.

The 233rd Space Group, based at the Greeley Air National Guard Station, offers the Air Force’s only mobile ground system for immediate detection of nuclear weapon launches, including from space. It’s designed to survive and operate through all phases and immediate fallout of a nuclear attack, according to a National Guard fact sheet.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

Here is a look at who will be on the ballot in the state’s congressional primaries, district by district. Listed are major-party contenders who qualified by petitioning onto the ballot, by winning support at party assemblies, or by taking both routes. Ballots were certified Friday by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

The listing doesn’t include third-party and independent candidates who are running in this fall’s general election. Candidates in competitive races are listed in ballot order, as determined by .

1st Congressional District

Includes the City and County of Denver

Democratic primary: U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, the stalwart representative of the district centered in liberal-leaning Denver, has occupied the seat since 1997 — the longest of any current Colorado member of Congress, by far — and is unopposed on the ballot. Democrat John Wren has filed as a write-in candidate.

Republican primary: Valdamar Archuleta, a Denver native who told Ballotpedia as a massage therapist and photographer, is running unopposed.

2nd Congressional District

Includes the north-central mountains, Fort Collins and Boulder

Democratic primary: U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, now the House’s assistant Democratic leader, has held the seat since 2019. The Lafayette resident is running unopposed.

Republican primary: Marshall Dawson, who lives in Longmont and works in the technology field, is unopposed. The November election will be a rematch of 2022, when Dawson lost to Neguse by more than 40 points.

3rd Congressional District

Covers much of the Western Slope and southern Colorado, including Grand Junction and Pueblo

Republican primary: U.S. Lauren Boebert, the Republican who has occupied the seat since 2021, opted to run in the 4th Congressional District this year. Several candidates have made the ballot in the open GOP race:

• Stephen Varela, a Colorado Board of Education member who lives in Pueblo. He won top-line billing at the district’s Republican assembly.
• Ron Hanks, a former state representative from Fremont County.
• Lew Webb, a former car dealership owner who lives in Durango.
• Russ Andrews, a Carbondale financial adviser.
• Curtis McCrackin, a Delta County businessman.
• Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction electric co-op attorney.

Democratic primary: Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman, is unopposed. In 2022, he narrowly lost the election to Boebert.

4th Congressional District

Includes much of the Eastern Plains and most of south metro Denver’s Douglas County

Republican primary: After five-term Congressman Ken Buck, a Republican, announced late last year that he wouldn’t run for reelection, a crowded GOP field entered the race in the conservative-leaning district. Buck later resigned his seat in March. Several Republicans have made the ballot:

• Lauren Boebert, the sitting 3rd District congresswoman, who has moved to Windsor in a bid to switch districts. She won top-line billing at the district’s Republican assembly.
• Richard Holtorf, a state representative who lives in Akron.
• Mike Lynch, a state representative who lives in Wellington.
• Deborah Flora, a former conservative radio host who lives in Parker.
• Jerry Sonnenberg, a Logan County commissioner and former state lawmaker.
• Peter Yu, a Weld County businessman.

Democratic primary:

• Trisha Calvarese, a union advocate and National Science Foundation writer who lives in Highlands Ranch. She won top-line billing at the district’s Democratic assembly.
• John Padora, a Severance resident who has worked as a manufacturing engineer and machinist.
• Ike McCorkle, a Marine veteran who lives in Parker and lost to Buck in the 2022 and 2020 elections.

Note: On the same day as the primary, the 4th District also will have a special election — featuring Calvarese and Republican Greg Lopez — to fill the the seat for the rest of Buck’s term this year.

5th Congressional District

Covers most of El Paso County, including Colorado Springs and its suburbs

Republican primary: Colorado’s third open-seat GOP primary comes about as a result of longtime Rep. Doug Lamborn’s decision to step down after his ninth term ends in January. Two candidates have made the ballot:

• Dave Williams, the Colorado Republican Party’s chairman and a former state representative. He secured top-line billing at the district’s GOP assembly.
• Jeff Crank, a political consultant and longtime radio host in Colorado Springs.

Democratic primary:

• River Gassen, a research scientist and graduate student. She secured top-line billing at the district’s Democratic assembly.
• Joe Reagan, an Army veteran and nonprofit executive.

6th Congressional District

Includes Aurora and many of Denver’s southern suburbs

Democratic primary: U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora resident who has held the seat since 2019, is running unopposed.

Republican primary: John Fabbricatore, a former director of the Denver field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who lives in Aurora, is unopposed.

7th Congressional District

Includes metro Denver’s Broomfield and Jefferson counties and extends south to Park, Fremont and Custer counties

Democratic primary: U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a former state lawmaker from Lakewood who has held the seat since 2023, is unopposed.

Republican primary: Sergei Matveyuk, who lives in Golden and owns a business that appraises and repairs art and antiques, is unopposed.

8th Congressional District

Includes several north Denver suburbs and Greeley

Democratic primary: U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician who won one of Colorado’s most competitive races in 2022, is unopposed.

Republican primary:

• Gabe Evans, a state representative from Fort Lupton who is an Army veteran and former police officer. He won top-line billing at the district’s GOP assembly.
• Janak Joshi, a former state representative from Colorado Springs who now lives in Thornton and is a retired physician.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

And U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, after switching in December from the Western Slope-based 3rd to seek election in the 4th Congressional District in eastern Colorado, raised the least amount of money for her campaign in a single quarter dating back at least a year — a bit over $462,000. But her campaign account still had nearly $980,000 in it as of March 31.

First-quarter campaign finance reports were due earlier this week, revealing the latest state of the money race in a selection of congressional districts that are hosting high-interest primaries or are potentially competitive in November. There will be one more finance reporting deadline ahead of Colorado’s June 25 primary, on June 13.

Here is a look at what the new filings show:

3rd Congressional District

Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman who nearly beat Boebert in 2022, sits on a nearly $6 million mountain of money. Much of it was the result of more than a year of historic fundraising spurred on by a fervent desire among Democrats to oust the Republican congresswoman in the 3rd, which also swings east to Pueblo.

Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney, received $241,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31, an amount he hopes will be enough to put him over the top in the GOP primary in the conservative-leaning district. He has raised nearly $1 million since jumping in the race last summer, initially to challenge Boebert.

Frisch, who’s unopposed in the Democratic primary, holds a gargantuan financial advantage over the half-dozen or so Republicans running for the nomination, with nearly $12.2 million raised since he announced his candidacy in February of last year.

That’s nearly eight times the amount raised by all of his potential GOP rivals — combined. Even so, Frisch’s money train has slowed since he hit a quarterly peak of $3.3 million collected in the third quarter of 2023 — a change he said he expected with Boebert’s exit from the district.

To face Frisch, Hurd has to beat a collection of Republicans in June. Stephen Varela, who serves on the Colorado Board of Education, raised $70,000 in the first quarter while Curtis McCrackin, a Delta County businessman, took in just over $36,000. Russ Andrews, a financial adviser, raised nearly $25,000.

Lew Webb, a former car dealership owner who lives in Durango, lent his campaign $150,000 and collected $2,500 in contributions during the first quarter. Former state Rep. Ron Hanks, who ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022 and lost, raised just over $9,000 in the quarter.

4th Congressional District

In her new district, Boebert — despite raising less than she has in a year — still led what’s been a crowded Republican primary field. She wasn’t substantially off her pace from the last three months of 2023, when she took in $540,000.

All told, she has tallied more than $3.4 million in contributions this election cycle.

Boebert this month picked up the top ballot line by at the GOP assembly. She also received the endorsement of the Colorado Republican Party to win the seat held by Ken Buck until last month, when the five-term congressman stepped down nine months before the end of his term.

Aside from Boebert, the top GOP candidates for what is Colorado’s most reliable Republican congressional district include former conservative radio host Deborah Flora, who landed nearly $180,000 in the first three months of 2024 and has more than $167,000 cash on hand. Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, a former state lawmaker, raised $158,000 and has more than $224,000 in his account.

The rest of the GOP field — among them state Reps. Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf, businessman Peter Yu, retired oil and gas businessman Floyd Trujillo, and Chris Phelen, former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn — brought in anywhere from $30,000 to $104,000 for the quarter.

On the Democratic side, addiction recovery advocate John Padora collected nearly $200,000 in the first quarter, followed by Trisha Calvarese with more than $40,000 and Ian McCorkle, who has challenged Buck in years past, took in $4,850.

On the same day as the primary, the 4th District also will have a special election — featuring Calvarese and Republican Greg Lopez — to fill the rest of Buck’s term this year.

5th Congressional District

In the El Paso County-centered district, where Lamborn announced he would step down at the end of his term, two Republican men hope to represent a district that has been solidly GOP for decades.

State party chairman Dave Williams raised $171,000 in the first quarter, though $100,000 of that total was a loan he made to his campaign. He entered the race just days after Lamborn announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in January.

In the primary, Williams faces Jeff Crank, a consultant and longtime radio host in Colorado Springs who ran against Lamborn in 2006 and 2008. Crank collected just over $300,000 over the last three months and has more than $227,000 cash on hand.

Democrat River Gassen, a scientist who has worked for NASA, collected nearly $30,000 in the first quarter. She has $6,000 cash on hand. Another candidate, Joe Reagan, has reported no fundraising.

8th Congressional District

The next-biggest fundraiser across Colorado’s eight congressional districts, behind Frisch, has been U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat. She took in $855,000 during the most recent reporting period.

While the 8th Congressional District, Colorado’s newest, doesn’t have an open seat like the other three districts do, it is being closely watched because it is easily Colorado’s most politically competitive district. It extends from Commerce City north to Greeley.

The freshman congresswoman came out of March with a $2 million war chest to take on a Republican foe in November. That opponent is likely to be state Rep. Gabe Evans, a farmer and former Arvada police officer, who has raised the most money of .

He brought in just over $250,000 in the first quarter and has $340,000 cash on hand. Retired physician Janak Joshi reported $125,000 in receipts, though $100,000 of that was a loan he made to his campaign.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.