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A headshot of River Gassen next to a headshot of Joe Reagan.
From left: River Gassen and Joe Reagan. (Provided by candidates)
The Unaffiliated — All politics, no agenda.

Two candidates are running in the 5th Congressional District Democratic primary on June 25.

The winner will advance to the Nov. 5 general election in the highly Republican district for a chance to succeed U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, who is retiring at the end of his term.

We asked the Democrats — River Gassen and Joe Reagan — about their stances on some of the major issues in the race. Our questions were based in large part on the responses to the Voter Voices 2024 survey.

Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. Candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.

See the Republicans’ answers >>

Corrections:

This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, May 31, to correct the abortion and same-sex marriage questions asked of the Democratic candidates running in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. They were asked: Would you vote to legalize abortion nationally? And would you vote to place the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage into law? Both candidates answered “yes” to both questions.

Type of Story: Explainer

Provides context or background, definition and detail on a specific topic.

Sandra Fish has covered government and politics in Iowa, Florida, New Mexico and Colorado. She was a full-time journalism instructor at the University of Colorado for eight years, and her work as appeared on CPR, KUNC, The Washington Post, Roll...