Democratic congressional candidate Jessica Killin, an Army veteran and former chief of staff to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, raised more than $750,000 in the first 24 hours after launching her bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, her campaign said Wednesday.

It’s more than Crank has raised all year, according to the first-term incumbent’s campaign finance reports, and appears to be a record for first-day fundraising by a congressional challenger anywhere in the country this cycle. Killin’s campaign told Colorado Politics that the total doesn’t include any candidate contributions or loans.

Killin kicked off her campaign Tuesday morning after teasing her run for more than a month in national political newsletters. Her launch got a boost when Emhoff, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, reposted Killin’s announcement video and news coverage about her announcement to his nearly 1 million followers on X, asking them to join him in supporting his former chief of staff.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support my campaign has received in just 24 hours,” Killin said in a statement. “Southern Colorado deserves a representative who prioritizes them and will bring pragmatic solutions and independent leadership to Washington, unlike Jeff Crank, who just voted to add over $3 trillion to our national debt while stripping 225,000 Coloradans of their health care. This outpouring of support shows that Coloradans are ready for real leadership, and I’m ready to get to work for El Paso County.”

In her campaign material and an interview with Colorado Politics, Killin took aim at Crank’s support for the Republican budget bill recently that passed with Crank’s support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Nonpartisan budget analysts project the legislation will increase federal debt by more than $3 trillion over the next decade, while nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other health care spending over the same period could lead to more than 200,000 Colorado residents losing coverage, according to state estimates.

A senior advisor to Crank told Colorado Politics that Killin’s powerhouse fundraising out of the gate wasn’t a surprise, considering her connections.

“Not a surprise, I’m sure all of her Biden swamp pals chipped in,” Crank advisor Nick Trainer said in a text message, adding: “Has she found the county clerk’s office to register to vote yet? It is a long way from Washington DC.”

Killin, who was raised in Colorado Springs and graduated from Falcon High School, returned to the city earlier this summer following a lengthy stint in Washington, where she worked as a top aide to Democrats in Congress and at the White House. Previously, she was an executive at USAA, a financial services company that works with members of the military, veterans and their families.

The 5th CD, whose borders nearly coincide with those of El Paso County, hasn’t once sent a Democrat to Congress in the 54 years since its creation ahead of the 1972 election.

The Cook Political Report rates the 5th CD as a solid Republican seat in next year’s midterms. Inside Elections, however, puts the district in the slightly more competitive category, calling it a likely Republican hold. Among reasons cited by analysts at the nonpartisan site are the seat’s steady movement toward Democrats over the last decade.

While Crank won election last year by a nearly 14-point margin over Democratic nominee River Gassen, a scientist and first-time candidate, his winning margin was the lowest on record in the district and amounted to less than half of Lamborn’s margin just eight years earlier.

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said voters in the district’s voters are ripe for a change in their representation in Congress.

“Colorado Springs is tired of being represented by Republican benchwarmers who sleepwalk through their job and toe the party line — that’s why you’re seeing incredible enthusiasm for change in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District,” Murib said in a text message.

“Jeff Crank only knows how to obey Donald Trump, not listen to his constituents. He’s done his Party’s bidding by voting to kick people off their health care, make life even more expensive for working people, and has barely lifted a finger to protect things like Space Command — it’s time for a change.”

Killin’s single-day haul didn’t just surpass Crank’s total fundraising for the first six months of 2025 — it’s more than Crank’s predecessor, nine-term Republican Doug Lamborn, raised for any of his reelection campaigns, only falling short of the roughly $1 million Lamborn raised during his successful, first congressional bid in 2006.

Crank’s campaign said in a report filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission that he raised just over $279,000 in the three-month period ending on June 30, bringing his total fundraising for the cycle to just over $653,000, including funds left over from his 2024 campaign. Crank reported having $425,774 on hand at the end of the second quarter.

Last year, when he was part of a crowded field of Republicans hoping to take over after Lamborn retired, Crank raised $1.1 million and spent just under $1 million to get elected.

Four other Democrats are also running in for the seat.

Joe Reagan, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit head who also ran in 2024, reported raising $53,430 so far this cycle and finished the quarter with just under $50,000 in the bank. Jamey Smith reported raising $18,500 and had a little over $30,000 left to spend. Zurit Zuriel Horowitz reported raising just over $6,700 through June 30 and had a little over $5,000 on hand. Michelle Tweed didn’t report any fundraising activity.

Since she got in the race after the end of the second quarter, Killin’s first campaign finance report isn’t due until Oct. 15, covering the three months ending Sept. 30.