This is Republican Jeff Crank’s third try to represent the 5th Congressional District.
Crank’s first entrance into politics was as a D.C. staffer to Rep. Joel Hefley, who represented the district in the ‘90s and early 2000s. When Hefley retired, Crank attempted to fill his seat. He ran in 2006 and 2008, losing to current Rep. Doug Lamborn in the primary both times. This time around, with Lamborn retiring, Crank defeated Dave Williams, a former state representative and chair of the Colorado Republican Party, to become the GOP nominee.
Crank has been a familiar voice in Colorado’s conservative circles for decades. He ran a political consulting firm and was a well-known host on the Colorado Springs talk radio station KVOR-AM.
Crank has also worked as the Colorado director for Americans for Prosperity, the conservative Koch brothers-linked political advocacy group focused on free markets and limited government spending. In that role he hosted the “American Potential” podcast for the group.
Crank has been endorsed by AFP Action and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
CPR News is part of Voter Voices, a statewide effort to ask Coloradans what issues matter most to them in this election. We used those responses to develop the questionnaire CPR sent to major party candidates.
Jeff Crank on the economy and cost of living
What would you do, as a member of Congress, to address the cost of housing?
While most housing regulations are governed by state and local regulations, the federal government can play a role in reducing the cost of housing in several ways. Reducing federal spending will reduce inflation and thereby lower interest rates which is a major cost of housing in America. In addition, we need to reduce federal regulation on the construction of new housing – like new federal energy mandates that are driving up the cost of homes by as much as $30,000 per home, pricing many low-income families out of the market. Federal over-regulation of home-building is a major driver in the cost of housing and Congress.
What can Congress do to address inflation, particularly around the cost of food?
Inflation has been caused by the government’s inability to get control of spending and the acceleration of federal spending through the pandemic. The greatest thing Congress can do to address inflation is to stop reckless overspending. The federal government should start by returning spending to pre-COVID levels and then cap spending at those levels for several years. This slowing of government spending will have a profound impact on inflation.
What are your views on raising tariffs on foreign goods?
I generally oppose tariffs on foreign goods because those tariffs end up being paid by the American consumer in the form of higher prices. Once tariffs are imposed on foreign goods, it increases the cost of those foreign products to the consumers and gives more profit margin to American manufacturers of said products – who then can raise the price of their products and still be competitive with their foreign competitors. This is a perfect example of how costs rise on goods. I support free and fair trade deals negotiated by the U.S. administration as a way to get fair trade for the American worker and the American consumer – but I don’t support driving up costs by imposing a tax — or tariff — on products.
Jeff Crank on democracy and good governance
What are your top three ideas for reforms to make Congress work better?
The most important thing that Congress can do to reform the current, broken system, is to restore regular order. We need to immediately return to regular business where Congress is deliberating and passing 12 separate appropriations bills through the committee process, considered under an open rule on the floor which allows for amendments to be considered, and those appropriations bills need to be sent to the President for signature.
Congress should also consider other reforms that will instill confidence in the institution and the ethics of the members who serve in Congress. Personally, neither me nor my wife will trade publicly traded stock while I am a member of Congress. Any such trades would be made under a blind trust. Whether Congress chooses to do this for members or not, I will hold myself to a higher standard and lead by example.
If control of the federal government remains divided between the parties after the election, how do you plan to be effective for your district?
I operate under the premise that I work with anyone to do good and no one to do harm. Regardless of who controls Congress or the White House, I will reach out to all members of the Colorado Congressional delegation and find ways that we can work together for the betterment of Colorado. I will do this without sacrificing my principles and there may be many things we cannot agree on – but I will work with anyone to advance causes I believe in and for the state. I will work hard to find those issues. In addition, I will work with the new administration and the Department of Defense to ensure that our local military installations continue to be robust – looking for new missions and new units to locate in Colorado Springs. As I do this, I’ll work with the Congressional delegation to make sure that it gets done.
There is an initiative on Colorado’s ballot to do away with party primaries and institute ranked choice voting. How will you vote on it and why?
I oppose rank choice voting as I think it confuses voters and makes citizens less confident in the outcome of elections rather than more confident. Rank choice voting has been very confusing to the people of Alaska, and it will be just the same in Colorado.
The American people deserve to have faith in their electoral system and instituting a system where one person is ahead on election day but then after votes are counted several days later, the person in second, third or fourth place emerges as the winner will not instill confidence in our electoral system.
It will, as it has in other states, confuse voters and cause them to question the idea of “one person, one vote.” A significant number of the places that have instituted rank choice voting in the past have rescinded it. A system of party primaries where voters, not party insiders, choose their party nominees then advance to a general election, serves citizens well and gives them well-defined choices for them to choose from. I will vote against the rank choice voting ballot issue.
Do you trust the current electoral system in Colorado? What about the rest of the country?
I trust the outcome of elections and recognize the winner of elections in the United States. While our system is not perfect, Colorado’s voting system is better than most other states. Having said that, there is much to do in Colorado and around the country to clean up our voter rolls and ensure integrity in our elections.
First, we should institute voter ID laws in every state. You should not be able to cast a vote without a valid government ID. Second, you should not be able to register to vote without proof of citizenship. In addition, we should, like we do in Colorado, require robust signature verification in order to vote. These are all common-sense steps that ensure faith and confidence in our election systems and should be welcomed by anyone who is supportive of ensuring such faith and confidence.
Jeff Crank on immigration
How should the U.S. Congress address current and future waves of people crossing at the border?
We should uphold the laws of the United States. It is illegal to cross the border of the U.S. anywhere other than a border crossing station. Immigrants who try to cross in other places are doing so illegally and should not be allowed to cross. We must enforce border security and that includes building a wall in some areas, more border patrol agents, technology such as drones, sensors, etc. but most importantly, we need an administration that will faithfully execute our immigration laws as passed by Congress.
If the administration won’t enforce the law, Congress must hold them accountable through oversight and cutting funding in other areas to make the administration understand that Congress is an equal branch of the government and that the laws must be upheld. Border security is paramount and without border security, nothing else is negotiable when it comes to immigration.
Name one aspect of the current legal immigration system the U.S. Congress should reform or abolish, and why?
While I support many worker visa programs that allow for guest workers to temporarily come to the U.S. for work, many of these programs badly need reform as they are outdated and do not work efficiently. Farm worker programs, for instance, should be updated to allow migrants to legally register to work in the U.S. for a short period of time and return to their home country. These programs should be streamlined to be more efficient for employers.
Additionally, we should reinstitute the Remain in Mexico policy of the Trump administration which slowed the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States. This policy was successful and since it was eliminated by the Biden/Harris administration, countless women and children have been raped, abducted, killed and sold into human trafficking because they are told that if they make the journey to the border, they will be allowed into the U.S. This has allowed cartels to exploit women and children. The U.S. could end much of this immoral and unjust suffering if the Biden/Harris administration would change their position.
Context: Illegal border crossings hit Biden-era low as migrants wait longer for entry (NPR)
What should the U.S. do about people who have lived in the country for a long time without documentation, including so-called Dreamers?
Nothing can be done about dreamers until border security has been addressed. The American people demand that the border be secured, and they won’t fall for another scam of granting amnesty to anyone in exchange for promises of future border security. Secure the border now and then we can work on how to deal with the millions of illegal immigrants who are in the U.S., including many innocent children who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents or others.
I supported the proposal of former President Trump that would have provided a solution to dreamers in exchange for border security. Unfortunately, congressional Democrats didn’t take that deal. I am open to finding a solution for dreamers, but only after Congress and the administration have secured the border.
Context: Democrats Reject Trump Border Wall Proposal, Calling It A 'Non-Starter' (NPR)
What do you think of former President Donald Trump’s call for mass deportations?
I do support the rule of law and consequences for illegal activity. It is illegal to cross into the United States at any location other than a point of entry. Since 2021 there are over 12 million new illegal immigrants who have entered the United States. Cities around the country are strained in meeting the needs of American citizens because of the flood of those who came here illegally – forcing cities, hospitals, homeless shelters and nonprofits to bear the financial burden of a failed Biden/Harris border policy.
Cities like Colorado Springs want to work with federal law enforcement but cannot because of liberal sanctuary city policies imposed on them from outside politicians. We cannot just allow lawlessness to stand so those who are here illegally should be deported so that American citizens and immigrants who came here legally can continue to pursue the American dream. By doing this, America will begin to restore the rule of law.
Context: El Paso County Sheriff, county commissioners sue state over immigration laws (CPR)
Jeff Crank on climate and natural resources
What is the most pressing environmental or natural resource issue facing Colorado?
There are two that are most pressing. First, water and its availability will always be one of the most important aspects of Colorado’s future. Water management and conservation is critical to our future growth and development. We must manage and increase water storage in Colorado and work to conserve water in our everyday lives.
Also, the mismanagement of wildlife in Colorado is becoming an increasing threat to wildlife conservation and ranching. The introduction of the wolf into rural Colorado by urban Colorado voters has been a disaster for ranchers as well as a growing threat to elk and deer populations. This effort was opposed by wildlife experts but done anyway. Now, Colorado voters are being asked to “save Colorado’s wildlife” by voting in favor of Proposition 127 — which bans hunting of mountain lions and bobcats. A single mountain lion will kill and consume fifty deer a year – so we aren’t “saving Colorado’s wildlife.” Efforts to manage wildlife by ballot proposals continues to be a threat to wildlife, the balance of nature and our way of life in Colorado.
What are the most urgent steps the country should take to address climate change, if any?
As a lifelong Coloradan and outdoorsman, our environment must be protected, and we must be good stewards of our environment through wildlife, habitat, water and land conservation. However, we must balance those conservation efforts with the livelihood of our citizens. Too often, the people who pay the highest price for radical, heavy-handed, government imposed environmental mandates are low-income Americans who live paycheck to paycheck. They are the ones who pay higher utility bills because of green energy mandates that drive up utility costs and they are the ones most impacted by higher gas prices (and grocery prices) because of these radical policies being driven by the current Biden/Harris administration. Electric vehicle mandates and fuel efficiency standards are driving up the cost of automobiles so that most families can no longer afford to own a vehicle.
While I support a clean environment and clean air and water, I will work for free-market solutions to these problems, rather than impose government dictates that hurt working American families. Too often, the ideas that come from the ivory towers of our universities get implemented in government and politicians forget that their job is to represent their hard-working constituents.
Should the federal government take steps to limit new oil and gas production on public lands?
No. The federal government should loosen restrictions on oil and gas production on public lands. For too long we’ve made public policy under the false choice of either having a clean environment or having energy production. Those two priorities are not mutually exclusive, and the American energy industry proves it every day.
Public lands are not public so they can be locked away only to be used by certain members of the public. They are to be used for the public good and the energy industry proves every day that they can extract oil and natural gas from the earth in an environmentally friendly way. We can have a clean environment and energy production in America.
The Biden/Harris administration has closed off large areas of public lands to energy development by slowing or stopping the permitting process. This has cost American jobs while at the same time enabling some of our adversaries, like Russia, Venezuela and others to sell their energy and increase their GDP — while also having fewer environmental regulations than the United States. This is a bad policy that has resulted in less energy independence, fewer jobs, and stronger enemies across the globe.
