Jason Crow (born March 15, 1979) is an American attorney, veteran, and politician who is a member of the United States House of Representatives for Colorado’s 6th congressional district. Crow is the first member of the Democratic Party to represent the district, which encompasses several of Denver’s eastern suburbs such as Aurora, Littleton, Centennial, and Thornton.
Crow was an impeachment manager during his first term in Congress at the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
Early life and career
Crow was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1979. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2009.
Crow is a former U.S. Army Ranger. He served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Crow took part in the Battle of Samawah in 2003 as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division; for his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Bronze Star. Crow served on the Colorado Board of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2014. After service, Crow became partner with the Holland and Hart Law Firm. In 2015 Crow was awarded the University of Denver’s Ammi Hyde Award for Recent Graduate Achievement.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 2018
On April 17, 2017, Crow announced his intention to run to represent Colorado’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives against incumbent four-term Republican Mike Coffman. The district had historically been a bastion of suburban conservatism; it had long been the most reliably Republican district in the state outside of Colorado Springs. Redistricting after the 2010 census had made the district significantly friendlier to Democrats, but Coffman had managed to hold onto the seat for three terms after the redistricting.
In the Democratic primary, Crow ran against progressive businessman Levi Tillemann. Crow defeated incumbent Republican Mike Coffman in the general election on November 6. Crow received 54% of the vote, and won two out of the three counties in the district. He is the first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1982.
- 2020
Crow ran for reelection to a second term, running unopposed in the Democratic primary. He then faced off against Republican challenger Steve House, the former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, in the November 3, 2020, general election. Crow won with 57.1% of the vote to House’s 40%.
Tenure
2021 storming of the United States Capitol
Crow described his experience during the storming of the Capitol, “I got into Ranger mode a little bit. Most of the members didn’t know how to use the emergency masks, so I was helping them get their emergency masks out of the bags and helped instruct a bunch of folks on how to put it on and how to use it.” He also locked doors in the chamber, moved other lawmakers away from the doors, and directed them to “remove their pins so they weren’t identifiable in case the mob did break through.” Crow held the hand of distressed Rep. Susan Wild in a photo that went viral. He said, “I certainly haven’t felt that way since I was in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. I never, in a million years, would have thought I would have been experiencing that as a member of Congress in the U.S. Capitol.”
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Readiness
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade and Entrepreneurship
- Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access
- Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development (Chair)
Caucus memberships
- New Democrat Coalition
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Crow | 49,851 | 65.93% | |
| Democratic | Levi Tillemann | 25,757 | 34.07% | |
| Total votes | 75,608 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Crow | 187,639 | 54.10% | |
| Republican | Mike Coffman (incumbent) | 148,685 | 42.87% | |
| Libertarian | Kat Martin | 5,886 | 1.70% | |
| Independent | Dan Chapin | 4,607 | 1.33% | |
| Write-in | 5 | <0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 346,822 | 100% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Crow (incumbent) | 122,929 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 122,929 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Crow (incumbent) | 250,314 | 57.1% | |
| Republican | Steve House | 175,192 | 40.0% | |
| Libertarian | Norm Olsen | 9,083 | 2.1% | |
| Unity | Jaimie Kulikowski | 3,884 | 0.9% | |
| Total votes | 438,473 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Political positions
Gun control
Crow voiced support for gun control reform while campaigning for the House of Representatives. On February 28, 2019, he voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R.8) after cosponsoring the bill. H.R.8, if passed, will require unlicensed gun sellers to conduct background checks on gun buyers. Crow is also a cosponsor of the Assault Weapon Ban Act (H.R.1296), which would limit access to guns that are considered assault weapons.
Special interests
Crow refused corporate PAC money during his campaign. He is a sponsor of the For the People Act of 2019, which would end gerrymandering and create automatic voter registration if passed. The For the People Act of 2019 would also prevent Congress members from serving on corporate boards. The bill also seeks to eliminate dark money contributions.
Crow supports abortion rights. “I will always fight to protect a woman’s right to choose. Women should have the right to make healthcare decisions that are right for them and their families. I have fought to protect a woman’s right to choose, while simultaneously working to continue funding critical resources like Planned Parenthood.”
Impeachment
On September 23, 2019, Crow was one of seven freshmen lawmakers with national security backgrounds who shared an opinion essay in The Washington Post voicing their support for an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. In interviews, Crow said it was important that “the inquiry stay focused and proceed efficiently.” On January 15, 2020, Crow was selected as one of seven impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against President Donald Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.