Centrist Independent Voter endorses Jessica Killin, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
Killin is not a perfect fit for us. We are skeptical of some of her economic proposals, including federal efforts aimed at “price gouging,” restrictions on institutional investors in housing, and her support for overturning Citizens United. But on several issues that matter particularly to Centrist Independent Voter—tariffs, housing supply, immigration, congressional authority, democratic institutions and America’s role in the world—Killin offers a pragmatic alternative to incumbent Republican Representative Jeff Crank.
“Team Normal”
Killin, an Army veteran and former congressional staff leader, has described herself as part of “Team Normal.” She says voters are tired of politicians on both the far left and far right putting partisanship ahead of the people they represent. That description is unusually close to what Centrist Independent Voter looks for in candidates.
More important than the slogan are her positions.
Killin opposes President Trump’s tariffs, correctly recognizing that tariffs raise costs and interfere with trade. On housing, she recognizes an essential part of the problem: insufficient supply. She has called for incentives to increase housing construction in the Pikes Peak region, although she has not provided much detail about what those incentives would be.
She also favors improving access for first-time homebuyers and restricting institutional investors in housing; we oppose those approaches. Subsidizing buyers can increase prices when supply is constrained, while restrictions on particular classes of buyers do little to address the underlying scarcity of housing. As we have argued in our discussion of housing policy, we favor reducing impediments to increased supply, including excessive permitting delays, restrictive zoning, tariffs on construction materials, and immigration policies that unnecessarily restrict the construction labor force.
On immigration, she combines border security and deportation of violent criminals with due process and a pathway to legal status for otherwise law-abiding immigrants.
She also argues that Congress has surrendered too much authority to the executive branch and should reclaim its constitutional responsibilities over spending, taxation and oversight. She supports banning congressional stock trading and strengthening government ethics rules.
We do not agree with every remedy she proposes. But the overall approach is considerably more pragmatic than the ideological packages increasingly offered by both parties.
Ukraine, NATO and American Leadership
Killin’s foreign-policy background is particularly reassuring.
She served eight years in the Army, rising to captain, and participated in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and work connected with NATO expansion in Europe.
In a lengthy interview discussing that experience, Killin described diplomacy, alliances and related instruments of American leadership as important to U.S. national security. Discussing NATO expansion, she specifically noted Ukraine and said what had happened there was personally important to her.
We would prefer a more detailed public statement from Killin on the precise level of future American military assistance to Ukraine. But her record and statements point clearly toward support for NATO and the traditional American alliance system. That is consistent with Centrist Independent Voter’s position on Russia and Ukraine: the United States and its allies should help Ukraine resist Russian aggression and maintain a credible NATO deterrent.
Crank’s voting record is less reassuring. In June, he voted against the Ukraine Support Act, which passed the House 226-195 with only 18 Republicans voting yes.
He has also twice voted against resolutions directing President Trump to end unauthorized U.S. hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorized them—once in June and again in July. The July resolution passed 214-208.
Those votes are difficult to reconcile with the principle that Congress, rather than the president acting alone, possesses the constitutional authority to take the country to war.
An Alternative Worth Supporting
Crank is not without positions we respect. He has supported legislation restricting congressional stock trading and has emphasized strengthening the military and defense industrial base.
But elections require choices between the candidates actually running.
Killin combines a moderate political temperament with eight years of Army service and more than a decade at USAA, where she worked on public-policy issues affecting military families and veterans, including VA home loans and protection from predatory lenders. She opposes tariffs, recognizes that increasing housing supply is necessary to reduce housing costs, takes a sensible approach to immigration, is concerned about excessive executive power and has a strong appreciation for NATO and American alliances.
We also disagree with Killin’s support for overturning Citizens United. Centrist Independent Voter’s campaign-finance position starts from the premise that political contributions are a form of constitutionally protected political expression and that transparency and disclosure are generally preferable to attempts to eliminate money from politics.
Colorado’s 5th District has historically been strongly Republican, but it has become considerably more competitive. A July poll commissioned by Killin’s campaign showed Crank leading only 45-44, although a campaign poll should naturally be viewed with caution.
This is precisely the kind of district where independent voters can matter—and where both parties should have an incentive to nominate candidates who appeal beyond their partisan bases.
For all of these reasons, Centrist Independent Voter endorses Jessica Killin for Congress in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
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