Colorado Springs Democrat Jessica Killin, an Army veteran and former chief of staff to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, raised more than $1 million in the initial quarter of her campaign to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, her campaign said.

It’s the most money raised in a quarter by any candidate running in the GOP-leaning district, which covers most of El Paso County and has never elected a Democrat, according to campaign finance records.

Killin is one of five Democrats seeking the nomination to take on Crank, a former podcaster and longtime political operative, who was elected to his first term last year by a nearly 14-point margin.

Her campaign plans to report finishing the year’s third quarter with close to $800,000 cash on hand, leaving her with nearly twice the $425,000 Crank’s campaign committee had in the bank at the end of the previous quarter.

Campaign finance reports for the three-month period that ended Sept. 30 are due to the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 15.

Killin’s campaign told Colorado Politics that more than 2,000 individual donors contributed to her committee, making for an average donation of just under $500 — an unusually high figure for a congressional campaign, suggesting more high-dollar donors than is typical for a first-time candidate.

A majority of donors and more than half of her receipts were from Coloradans, a Killin spokeswoman told Colorado Politics, adding that the candidate isn’t accepting donations from corporate PACs.

“This groundswell of support demonstrates that El Paso County is ready for a leader who can deliver results for the district and who will put people over politics,” Killin said in a statement. “Jeff Crank has repeatedly let us down by losing Space Command, slashing healthcare and VA services, and adding nearly $4 trillion to the debt. Congress can’t even do its job to keep our government open, and we need new, responsible, courageous leadership in Washington.”

Noting that the seat is trending toward Democrats faster than any other congressional district in the country, Killin vowed to “flip this district for the first time in its history.”

A spokesman for Crank’s campaign waved off his potential challenger’s fundraising news.

“Biden White House senior official Jessica Killin will need a lot more than her rich friends to beat Congressman Crank,” said Nick Trainer, a senior advisor to Crank, in a statement to Colorado Politics.

“She faces a severe name identification deficit in the district after having worked in DC for the last two decades and will need to explain why she wants Coloradans to pay on average over $10,000 more in taxes,” Trainer said.

He added that since the Republican’s election, Crank has raised more than $1.5 million from more than 7,800 unique donors to his principle campaign committee and three joint fundraising committees he controls, with an average donation of less than $90.

In the most recent quarter, Trainer said, Crank raised “another $500,000 and enjoys $750,000 cash on hand across his committees after distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of his colleagues fighting tight races.”

None of the other candidates running in the district have yet released their third quarter fundraising totals. The other Democrats in the primary are Joe Reagan, Jamey Smith, Zurit Zuriel Horowitz and Dr. Michelle Tweed. Reagan ran for the seat in 2024 but finished second in the primary.