Military service key for Democratic congressional candidates
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One reason Democrats are so bullish on flipping three GOP districts is their slate of candidates, who can cross political boundaries as military veterans.
State of play: The three Democratic contenders in the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts — Dwayne Romero, Eileen Laubacher and Jessica Killin, respectively — all served in the military, a key credential likely to boost their profiles among traditional Republican and unaffiliated voters.
- Killin served in the Army as a captain and paratrooper active in peacekeeping missions in the Balkans. She also led soldiers as a military police officer.
- Laubacher served 34 years in the Navy and was among the first women to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, joining its 11th class to admit women. She served seven years as an intelligence officer and then joined the Navy Reserve, deploying to Afghanistan in 2009.
- Romero attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is a combat veteran and graduate of the Army Ranger School.
What they're saying: "We need people who are trained and experienced in going to tough places and doing tough things to win races like this — people that are used to really difficult missions and have discipline, have focus, who have fortitude and grit," said U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from the 6th District in Aurora and a former Army ranger.
The other side: None of the three Republican incumbents served in the military.
Zoom in: Killin, a first-time candidate, is poised to draw military-minded votes. In the 5th District, she would represent five military installations and more than 100,000 veterans. The district hasn't elected a candidate with military credentials in decades.
- "When I think about a district like this, you want someone who knows and understands your lived experience, who can identify with you, who can communicate with you, who can speak the language you can," she told Axios.
Lauchbacher, a longtime Republican-turned-Democrat, is also making her first political bid. "You can't deny my love of country, my dedication and patriotism," she said in an interview.
- Beyond her resume, she's talking about cross-partisan issues such as lowering the national debt and imposing congressional term limits.
- "I just saw all these institutions and organizations that I had given my whole life for be under attack. I just really felt called, compelled to try to do what I can for this district," she said.
Romero, who earned a Bronze Star from the Gulf War, said he sees parallels in terms of service above self, teamwork and shared values that translate to the campaign.
- "I believe there's a palpable sense that the Constitution is under threat. There's a lot of things that are going on that aren't consistent with how the Constitution was crafted," he told us in an interview. "That's my view, and I think that's shared by many a combat veteran."
The bottom line: Romero added: "The veteran profile is very much respected and is coming through as a highly positive attribute for our campaign."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Democratic contenders in the 3rd and 5th districts are Dwayne Romero and Jessica Killin, respectively (not Jessica Killin and Dwayne Romero, respectively).