As the clock ticks down to the election in the 5th Congressional District, voters will soon have the opportunity to hear from the candidates on the most important issues facing the district that roughly covers El Paso County.

The Gazette, KOAA and the El Pomar Foundation are hosting a candidate forum June 3 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall.

KOAA reporter Alasyn Zimmerman will moderate the forum among the candidates, including Republicans Dave Williams and Jeff Crank and Democrats River Gassen and Joe Reagan.

The forum comes weeks before the June 25 primary. Williams and Crank are vying to become the Republican candidate to replace retiring incumbent Doug Lamborn.

Williams is the current chair of the Colorado Republican Party and has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Crank, a former radio host and executive for the political advocacy group Americans For Prosperity, has received an endorsement from the U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The two Republicans most recently faced off in a debate on Thursday, in which immigration, government spending and the military were major issues of discussion.

On the local front, the two spoke about the location of Space Command, which became a political issue in 2021 when Trump announced a move to Alabama from Colorado Springs that was ultimately canceled by the Biden administration.

Gassen is a research scientist with degrees from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, while Reagan is a veteran with experience in the finance industry.

The forum will be streamed at gazette.com, koaa.com and the KOAA streaming apps. Attendees can visit gazette.com/debate5 to RSVP and submit a question to the candidates.