Jeff Crank

REPLACING:

Doug Lamborn (R) [i]

WORK HISTORY:

KVOR-AM (Host of The Jeff Crank Show); XAware (Vice President of Government Sales); Aegis Strategic LLC (President); Americans for Prosperity (Colorado State Director); Greater Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corp. (Vice President of Government Affairs); Office of US Rep. Joel Hefley (Administrative Director); Office of U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley (Legislative Assistant); Office of U.S. Rep. Denny Smith (Intern) [ii] [iii]

EDUCATION:

BA, Colorado State University; Attended, University of Colorado – Boulder; Diploma, Central High School [iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Crank is a “proud pro-life advocate” but supports exceptions for rape, incest, and to protect the mother’s life. [vi] [vii] He opposes public funding for abortion and has accused Democrats of supporting “abortion on demand.”[viii] [ix] [x] Crank has argued that reproductive rights are not a “big issue with the American people” and would support some version of an abortion ban. [xi]

On the Issues

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Crank is a “proud pro-life advocate” but supports exceptions for rape, incest, and to protect the mother’s life. [vi] [vii] He opposes public funding for abortion and has accused Democrats of supporting “abortion on demand.” [viii] [ix] [x] Crank has argued that reproductive rights are not a “big issue with the American people” and would support some version of an abortion ban. [xi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Crank believes the “open door” at the southern border is at “crisis levels” and argues that the “first priority for every Republican in Congress must be stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into our country.” [xii] He called for President Biden “to be replaced so we can secure the border,” and supports increasing the number of border patrol agents, building border walls in strategic areas, increasing the use of technology at the border, and reinstituting the remain-in-Mexico policy. [xiii] [xiv] [xv] Crank also supports Trump’s plan to deport undocumented immigrants, stating, “I’m on board for deporting folks who came here illegally, absolutely.” [xvi] He has expressed an openness to finding a solution that would help DREAMers, but argues, “we have got to get away from this notion, too, that every 30 years, we can just wave the magic wand and just kind of grant immunity to everybody who came before.” [xvii] Crank also believes asylum seekers should have to apply through a third country instead of being able to do so after crossing the border. [xviii]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Crank has argued that the Biden administration’s economic policy “has failed from Day 1” and wants the U.S. to return to “sane economic policies” that allow “American families, entrepreneurs and small businesses” to prosper.[xix] He believes government spending has caused inflation and driven up costs to unsustainable levels, resulting in the middle class being “crushed on a daily basis.” [xx] He will also work to lessen regulations in the business sector. [xxi] Crank has said he would have voted against the CHIPS Act, which provided funds to support the domestic production of semiconductors, among other provisions. [xxii] [xxiii]

TAXES:

Crank will fight for lower taxes and to renew the Trump tax cuts, arguing it is important for businesses to have certainty that the tax cuts will continue. [xxiv] [xxv] [xxvi] He has signed Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a commitment to oppose and vote against income tax increases.[xxvii] Crank generally opposes tariffs on foreign goods “because those tariffs end up being paid by the American consumer in the form of higher prices.” [xxviii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

During the 2024 Republican primary, Crank criticized his opponent for allegedly wanting to defund the Colorado police.[xxix] He has vowed to “never turn [his] back on our great law enforcement officials who protect us every day.” [xxx]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Crank believes the U.S. is moving “way too fast towards green energy” and that “it’s not based on science, it’s based on politics.” [xxxi] He does not oppose the development of new energy technologies, but only “if the free market thinks that it’s a good thing to do.” [xxxii] However, Crank opposes the “outrageous” and “idiotic” green energy mandates and “anti-fossil fuel policies” of the Biden administration, which he claims have been “a large driver of inflation.” [xxxiii] He will work to reverse these policies in Congress, eliminating energy subsidies and expediting the permitting process for oil and gas leases. [xxxiv] [xxxv]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Crank believes the federal government “spends far too much money on foreign aid.” [xxxvi] However, he wants to see “Hamas and Hezbollah wiped off the face of the earth” and supports continuing aid to Israel, arguing, “we’re in the same fight with them against these radical terrorists” and that it’s better “to give them money and allow them to fight” rather than “our own soldiers losing their lives in doing it.” [xxxvii] [xxxviii] He does not think a two-state solution is viable so long as Palestinian leaders dispute Israel’s right to exist. [xxxix] Crank is “not one who wants to see Russia succeed” and believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is “a bad guy,” but has argued that the U.S. “can’t just write checks forever.”[xl] He has said he is not convinced of Ukraine’s case to become a member of NATO. [xli]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Crank believes everyone should be allowed to participate in health savings accounts and that our laws should encourage affordable private insurance, lower drug prices, and better access to healthcare. [xlii] He also thinks physicians should be allowed to own hospitals as a way to increase competition. [xliii] He has long called for the Affordable Care Act to be repealed. [xliv] [xlv] Crank has said federal entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare “are on autopilot” and is “in favor of addressing that” without hurting existing beneficiaries. [xlvi] He has suggested he would support giving people the choice between contributing to private 401k-style investment accounts or paying Social Security taxes. [xlvii]

DEMOCRACY:

Crank has advocated for eliminating “entire federal departments and agencies – using the Constitution as a guide.” [xlviii] He does not think members of Congress should be permitted to trade stocks and opposes rank choice voting, arguing it “confuses voters and makes citizens less confident in the outcome of elections rather than more confident.” [xlix] [l] He has said that although the electoral system “is not perfect,” he trusts the outcome of elections and would have voted to certify the 2020 presidential election. [li] [lii] However, he has advocated for voter ID laws, signature verification in order to vote, and citizenship verification before being able to register to vote. [liii]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

Crank believes that there are only two genders and opposes gender-affirming healthcare for children. [liv] He has pledged to fight “the woke nonsense at our schools.” [lv]