The Daily Record - Back To Its Roots

Publish Date: 3/7/2006

Back To Its Roots

Debbie Bell
The Daily Record

Citing a return to the steadfast conservative roots of the Republican Party, Jeff Crank on Monday announced his intention to run for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Joel Hefley.

The Colorado Springs resident, an aid to Hefley for eight years, was in Cañon City as the final stop in a six-county swing to announce his candidacy for Hefley's seat. The 39-year-old is former Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and previous Adminis-trative Director to Rep. Hefley.

"Joel Hefley can't be replaced," Crank said. "Joel Hefley has been the greatest representative we've ever had. Somebody will fill the seat, but no one will ever replace him."

Crank discussed his deeply-held conservative beliefs and quoted President Ronald Reagan's campaign speech in 1966 as he sought the governorship of California.

"I am not a politician. I am an ordinary citizen with a deep-seated belief that much of what troubles us has been brought about by politicians; and it's high time that more ordinary citizens brought the fresh air of common sense thinking to bear on these problems," Crank quoted Reagan, in part.

"Those words ring as true today as they did then," Crank said.

Crank said the 1994 "Contract With America," a Republican Party proposal to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives, ended 40 years of political tyranny and was his party's greatest achievement.

"We have lost our way," Crank said. "We will either be the party of reform or the party of minority." The crowd of several dozen, at the Cañon Coffee Café, erupted into cheers.

"We must cut taxes and leave more money where it belongs, in the pockets of these taxpayers," Crank said.

His platform consists of basic conservative planks including anti-abortion and anti-gun control. He said he supports a federal amendment to mandate marriage as being between one man and one woman.

"We need to create a culture of life and a regard for life in America," Crank said. "Life is precious and we have to protect it."

Crank said the political system needs overhauled in terms of both ethics and budget.

"We need to reform a system that rewards people for simply raising money," he said.

He called the growing budget deficit one of the biggest dangers in America, and said that deficit "is a crushing anvil on the chests of our children."

Crank said he supports both line item veto and balanced budget amendment to help balance the federal budget.

"We need to make difficult decisions on spending," Crank said. "I will never vote to raise your taxes, period. The federal government is too big and it spends too much."

Crank also said he agreed with President George Bush that the war on terror would be a "long, hard strug-gle," and said the effort has been hurt by some politicians who "put politics above country."

"The war on terror has gotten more difficult due to statements made by some politicians," Crank said, calling some of those statements anti-American.

Finally, Crank addressed illegal immigration and said the United States must remain the land of opportunity and the land of legal immigration.

"The Soviet Union had to build walls to keep people in," Crank said. "America is unique in that way — we have to build walls to keep people out."

While introducing the candidate, Crank's Fremont County campaign chairman Francis Williams said Crank was the best person for the job.

"I think we've got the best candidate right here," Williams said. "Fremont County has always been important to him. Jeff's been there for us and always will be there for us."

http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/region-story.asp?ID=3016