Jeff Crank
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people of the 5th Congressional District?
I was born and raised in southern Colorado and have lived here my entire life -with the exception of eight years where I worked in Washington, DC in Congress for Joel Hefley, the former Congressman for the 5th Congressional District. During that time and during my time with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, I helped play a key role in keeping Fort Carson open and ensuring our five local military installations remain vibrant. I’ve helped write federal legislation to solve the military housing crisis that existed, and that law brought private capital to bear, getting military members and their families in quality housing in just a few short years. I also worked with our former Governor, Bill Owens, to pass a law in Colorado that provided in-state tuition to military families serving in Colorado. Finally, I’ve been involved in our community for many years – serving on the El Pomar Pikes Peak Regional Council, was President of the Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition, and served on the Board of Life Network. I was also appointed to the Colorado Emergency Planning Commission by former Governor Bill Owens. I spent fourteen years on the radio as a talk show host on KVOR having conversations about every aspect of our community. Through my work with the community – and my staff work with the House Armed Services Committee, I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve this district in Congress.
What are your top policy priorities for the 5th Congressional District?
Fix the Biden/Harris broken economy, secure the border, and stop out-of-control reckless spending in Washington. Families in the 5th Congressional District are struggling to make ends meet and battling high inflation because of the bad policy decisions of the Biden/Harris administration – including reckless spending in Washington which is driving up the cost of housing, groceries, energy, and every aspect of our economy. Congress must start by returning to pre-COVID spending levels and then cut non-defense discretionary spending by one percent for several years. In addition, Congress must get serious and eliminate entire federal departments and agencies – using the Constitution as a guide. There is too much that the federal government does that it should not be doing and we must cut that waste now or we will have a catastrophic failure of our economy due to crushing debt. In addition, we must secure the border by increasing border patrol agents, building a wall in places, increasing technology, and reinstituting the remain-in-Mexico policy of the Trump administration. We must also hold the bureaucrats in the Biden/Harris administration who created this mess accountable.
What is your approach to addressing immigration issues facing our country and Colorado?
Our borders (both north and south) are a complete disaster because of the failed leadership of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They have purposefully allowed over 12 million illegal immigrants to cross our border – including hundreds and maybe even thousands of terrorists, thugs, and criminals into our country – and many of these people intend to do us harm. In addition, the failed policy has caused untold human tragedies to the immigrants themselves – with many women and children being raped, murdered, and trafficked along the thousand-mile journey – all because the Biden/Harris administration is telling people that if they come to our country, they will be allowed in. That has been an immoral policy that has cost lives and tragedy. I will work to ensure that we help build Trump’s wall on the southern border, increase technology, hire more border patrol agents, and hold the Biden/Harris administration accountable for their disastrous border policy.
Coloradans are struggling with the cost of living because of skyrocketing inflation. What do you think needs to be done to help families?
The federal government has caused the skyrocketing inflation by increasing federal government spending through COVID and never cutting spending back down to pre-COVID levels. The greatest thing the federal government can do to help American families recover from this rampant inflation is to greatly reduce federal spending and live within our means as a nation. We must get to a balanced federal budget and to do that we must cut spending and return to a smaller, leaner federal government focused on protecting America’s national security through a robust defense budget paid for with cuts in other areas of the federal government. We must refocus our priorities. In addition, to control inflation, we cannot do additional harm by increasing spending – as my opponent wants to do – by wiping out student loan debt or providing federal funding for abortion. I will vigorously oppose these types of new federal spending and I will work to bring down our nation’s spending and debt. By doing this, we can return our country to a sane fiscal path and we will reduce inflation and its ill effects on Americans. Finally, we need to remove the outrageous green energy mandates and anti-fossil fuel policies of the Biden/Harris administration. The administration’s war on American energy has been a large driver of inflation. By expediting the permitting process for oil and gas leases and ending these idiotic green energy mandates, American energy dominance will be unleashed, driving greater economic performance and lowering energy prices which, in turn, will slow inflation.
What role do you believe the federal government has in addressing gun violence?
Just like the freedoms in the First Amendment, our Second Amendment rights must always be protected. This is a major difference between me and my opponent. I am a lifelong defender and supporter of the Second Amendment and a life-long hunter, gun owner, and outdoorsman. Of course, the Second Amendment protections that our founding fathers enshrined in the Bill of Rights guarantee the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. Law-abiding citizens who have not been adjudicated as mentally ill and are over the age of 18 are guaranteed the right to own firearms by the Constitution and those rights shall not be infringed by the government. It is simple when we follow the Constitution. I will always fight to protect the gun rights of Americans. I am the past president of the Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition and have been endorsed by their PAC. I have been endorsed by the National Rifle Association and have an AQ rating from them while my opponent has an F rating from the NRA, and I will oppose efforts by anti-gun extremists to take guns from law-abiding citizens. I oppose waiting periods, magazine limits, so-called “assault” weapons bans, additional taxes on ammunition or firearms, and other forms of gun control. I am a concealed carry permit holder myself and I support reciprocity among states when it comes to concealed carry permits. Of course, there is no such thing as “gun violence”, rather there is violence by individuals who use a gun, knife, fists, explosives, car, poison, etc. to do harm. Instead of focusing on the gun, let’s focus on controlling criminals. I do support stiffer penalties and prosecutions of felons in possession of firearms. I also support tougher penalties on criminals who steal guns or deal illegal drugs and confiscation of those guns. I will not support taking guns away from law-abiding citizens as a way to reduce crime as that will only increase crime and turn law-abiding citizens into victims.
What can be done on the federal level to increase affordable housing?
As mentioned above, the most important thing the federal government can do to drive down the cost of housing is to get inflation under control by spending less money. This will cause the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates which is one of the largest drivers of the increased cost of housing. In addition, the federal government has imposed green-energy mandates on cities that take some federal funds and these mandates are driving up the cost of a new home by as much as $30,000 making it unaffordable for low-income residents. Removing these kinds of mandates will also help drive down the cost of new homes and help increase supply. The federal government should not impose additional regulations on the building of new homes and should leave the regulation of home building and zoning decisions to state and local governments. I also support maintaining the current mortgage interest deduction in the federal tax code and would look at additional tax breaks that would incentivize new home ownership.
