Colorado's 5th congressional district

Colorado's 5th congressional district
Colorado's 5th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative		Doug Lamborn (R–Colorado Springs)
Cook PVI	R+15[1]

Colorado's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district lies in the center of the state and mostly comprises Colorado Springs and its suburbs including Cimarron Hills and Fort Carson.

The district is currently represented by Republican Doug Lamborn.

Characteristics

Politics

The Republican Party has held control of the seat since the district's creation. With a Cook PVI of R+16, the 5th Congressional District of Colorado is the most conservative district in the state. Colorado Springs, the main population center within the district, is home to many conservative-leaning organizations. Among these groups are Focus on the Family, its founder Dr. James Dobson (who is considered by some to be the most influential evangelical leader in the country^[2]), New Life Church, Compassion International, HCJB, and many others. There is some Democratic strength in this district in central and southern Colorado Springs and some of its suburbs near Pikes Peak, but it is no match for the overwhelming Republican tilt of the district; however, changing demographics in El Paso County may cause this to change in the future.

Colorado Springs also boasts a large population of both active-duty and retired military personnel and is home to many companies in the defense industry, all of which are demographics that tend to vote for Republicans. Throughout the district's history, Republicans have won by comfortable margins. From 1996 through 2004, Republican Joel Hefley usually won reelections with about 70% of the vote. George W. Bush received 66% of the vote in this district in 2004.

Economy

Because of the strong military presence, Colorado Springs's economy is usually very stable and frequently sees growth. The western portions of the district are mostly small mountain towns whose economy depends on ranching, farming, mining, and tourism.

Tourism

Millions of tourists visit the Colorado Springs region every year, primarily to visit Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, and the United States Air Force Academy.

Military

Colorado Springs, located within the district, is home to multiple military installations. Fort Carson, the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, and NORAD are also all located within the district.

History

1990s

Following the 1990 U.S. Census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 5th Congressional district consisted of El Paso and Teller counties, as well as portions of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Fremont counties.^[3]

2000s

Following the 2000 U.S. Census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 5th Congressional district consisted of Chaffee, El Paso, Fremont, Lake, and Teller counties, as well as portions of Park County.

Voting

Election results from presidential races^[4]

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Bush 63 - 31%
2004	President	Bush 66 - 33%
2008	President	McCain 59 - 40%
2012	President	Romney 60 - 39%

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Term Duration	Congress	District Home	Electoral history
District created January 3, 1973
Bill Armstrong	Republican	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979	93rd	Littleton	First elected in 1972 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
			94th
			95th
Ken Kramer	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987	96th		First elected in 1978 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
			97th
			98th
			99th
Joel Hefley	Republican	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2007	100th	Colorado Springs	First elected in 1986 Retired
			101st
			102nd
			103rd
			104th
			105th
			106th
			107th
			108th
			109th
Doug Lamborn	Republican	January 3, 2007 – present	110th	Colorado Springs	First elected in 2006
			111th
			112th
			113th

Election results

1972 • 1974 • 1976 • 1978 • 1980 • 1982 • 1984 • 1986 • 1988 • 1990 • 1992 • 1994 • 1996 • 1998 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004 • 2006 • 2008 • 2010

1972

United States House of Representatives elections, 1972[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Armstrong	104,214	62.33
	Democratic	Byron L. Johnson	60,948	36.45
	Libertarian	Pipp M. Boyls	2,028	1.22
Total votes			167,190	100.0
	Republican win (new seat)

1974

United States House of Representatives elections, 1974[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Armstrong (incumbent)	85,326	57.73
	Democratic	Ben Galloway	56,888	38.49
	Independent	Stan Johnson	5,580	3.78
Total votes			147,794	100.0
	Republican hold

1976

United States House of Representatives elections, 1976[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Armstrong (incumbent)	126,784	66.43
	Democratic	Dorothy Hores	64,067	33.57
Total votes			190,851	100.0
	Republican hold

1978

United States House of Representatives elections, 1978[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Kramer	91,933	59.78
	Democratic	Gerry Frank	52,914	34.41
	Independent	L.W. Dan Bridges	8,933	5.81
Total votes			153,780	100.0
	Republican hold

1980

United States House of Representatives elections, 1980[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Kramer (incumbent)	177,319	72.41
	Democratic	Ed Schreiber	62,003	25.32
	Libertarian	John A. Lanning	5,578	2.27
Total votes			244,900	100.0
	Republican hold

1982

United States House of Representatives elections, 1982[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Kramer (incumbent)	84,479	59.55
	Democratic	Thomas Cronin	57,392	40.45
Total votes			141,871	100.0
	Republican hold

1984

United States House of Representatives elections, 1984[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Kramer (incumbent)	163,654	78.59
	Democratic	William Geffen	44,588	21.41
Total votes			206,242	100.0
	Republican hold

1986

United States House of Representatives elections, 1986[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley	121,153	69.77
	Democratic	Bill Story	52,488	30.23
Total votes			173,641	100.0
	Republican hold

1988

United States House of Representatives elections, 1988[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	181,612	75.13
	Democratic	John J. Mitchell	60,116	24.87
Total votes			241,728	100.0
	Republican hold

1990

United States House of Representatives elections, 1990[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	127,740	66.44
	Democratic	Cal Johnston	57,776	30.05
	Libertarian	Keith L. Hamburger	6,761	3.51
Total votes			192,277	100.0
	Republican hold

1992

United States House of Representatives elections, 1992[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	173,096	71.11
	Democratic	Charles A. Oriez	62,550	25.70
	Libertarian	Keith L. Hamburger	7,769	3.19
Total votes			243,415	100.0
	Republican hold

1994

United States House of Representatives elections, 1994[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	138,674	100.00
Total votes			138,674	100.0
	Republican hold

1996

Republican Primary

1996 Republican Primary Congressional Election[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley	36,994	76.70
	Republican	Bill Hughes	11,236	23.30

General

United States House of Representatives elections, 1996[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	188,805	71.94
	Democratic	Mike Robinson	73,660	28.06
Total votes			262,465	100.0
	Republican hold

1998

United States House of Representatives elections, 1998[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	155,790	72.71
	Democratic	Ken Alford	55,609	25.95
	Natural Law	Mark A. Mellot	2,871	1.34
Total votes			214,270	100.0
	Republican hold

2000

United States House of Representatives elections, 2000[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	253,330	82.70
	Libertarian	Kerry Kantor	37,719	12.31
	Natural Law	Randy Mackenzie	15,260	4.99
Total votes			306,309	100.0
	Republican hold

2002

United States House of Representatives elections, 2002[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	128,118	69.37
	Democratic	Curtis Imrie	45,587	24.69
	Libertarian	Biff Baker	10,972	5.94
Total votes			184,677	100.0
	Republican hold

2004

United States House of Representatives elections, 2004[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Hefley (incumbent)	193,333	70.55
	Democratic	Fred Hardee	74,098	27.04
	Libertarian	Arthur "Rob" Roberts	6,627	2.41
Total votes			274,058	100.0
	Republican hold

2006

Republican Primary

2006 Republican Primary Congressional Election[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn	15,126	26.97
	Republican	Jeff Crank	14,234	25.38
	Republican	Bentley Rayburn	9,735	17.36
	Republican	Lionel Rivera	7,213	12.86
	Republican	John Wesley Anderson	6,474	11.54
	Republican	Duncan Bremer	3,310	5.90

General

United States House of Representatives elections, 2006[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn	123,264	59.62
	Democratic	Jay Fawcett	83,431	40.35
	Republican	Richard D. Hand (as a write-in)	41	0.02
	Democratic	Brian X. Scott (as a write-in)	12	0.01
	Republican	Gregory S. Hollister	8	0.00
Total votes			206,756	100.0
	Republican hold

2008

Republican Primary

2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn	24,995	44.03
	Republican	Jeff Crank	16,794	29.58
	Republican	Bentley Rayburn	14,986	26.40

General

United States House of Representatives elections, 2008[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn (incumbent)	183,179	60.03
	Democratic	Hal Bidlack	113,027	37.04
	Constitution	Brian X. Scott	8,894	2.92
	No party	Richard D. Hand	45	0.03%
Total votes			305,142	100.0
	Republican hold

2010

United States House of Representatives elections, 2010[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn (incumbent)	152,829	65.75
	Democratic	Kevin Bradley	68,039	29.27
	Constitution	Brian X. Scott	5,886	2.53
	Libertarian	Jerrell Klaver	5,680	2.44
Total votes			232,434	100.0
	Republican hold

Living former Members

As of May 2015, there are three former members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 5th congressional district who are currently living at this time.

Representative	Term in office	Date of birth (and age)
William L. Armstrong	1973–1979	March 16, 1937
Ken Kramer	1979–1987	February 19, 1942
Joel Hefley	1987–2007	April 21, 1935

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

• Colorado's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
2. Olsen, Ted (2005-02-21). "Who's Driving This Thing?". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
3. Congressional District Map (Map). State of Colorado. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
4. Presidential Election Results, by district, swingstateproject.com
5. 1972 Election Results
6. 1974 Election Results
7. 1976 Election Results
8. 1978 Election Results
9. 1980 Election Results
10. 1982 Election Results
11. 1984 Election Results
12. 1986 Election Results
13. 1988 Election Results
14. 1990 Election Results
15. 1992 Election Results
16. 1994 Election Results
17. 1996 Primary Results
18. 1996 Election Results
19. 1998 Election Results
20. 2000 Election Results
21. 2002 Election Results
22. 2004 Election Results
23. 2006 Primary Results
24. 2006 Election Results
25. 2008 Primary Results
26. 2008 Election Results
27. 2010 Election Results

Coordinates: 38°48′56″N 105°20′39″W / 38.81556°N 105.34417°W