Doug Lamborn

Douglas Lawrence Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Colorado’s 5th congressional district from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he represented a district based in Colorado Springs and served nine consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives. During his tenure, Lamborn contributed to the legislative process in a period marked by significant national and international developments, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Colorado constituents. On January 5, 2024, he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2024, concluding his service in Congress at the end of his ninth term.

Lamborn was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, and raised in nearby Lansing, Kansas. He attended Lansing High School in Lansing, where he completed his secondary education. He went on to the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism in 1978. Continuing at the same institution, he obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1985. After law school, Lamborn moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he established himself as a private attorney, focusing his legal practice on business and real estate law. His legal career in Colorado Springs provided the professional foundation and community connections that preceded his entry into elective office.

Lamborn began his political career in the Colorado General Assembly. In 1994, he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican. During his tenure in the state House, he rose quickly in leadership and was elected Republican House Whip in 1997. In 1998, he was elected to the Colorado State Senate, where he continued to build a reputation as a fiscal conservative. In the Senate, Lamborn was elected Senate President pro tempore in 1999. While serving in the Colorado Senate, he sponsored what was described as the largest tax cut in Colorado history and was repeatedly recognized by the conservative advocacy group Colorado Union of Taxpayers, which named him the highest-ranking tax cutter in the Senate on five occasions. He also held key committee roles, serving as the ranking Republican on the Colorado State Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and on the Appropriations Committee. Lamborn remained in the Colorado Senate until he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lamborn’s entry into Congress followed the retirement of Representative Joel Hefley, who on February 16, 2006, announced that he would step down after ten terms in Congress. In the Republican primary to succeed Hefley in Colorado’s 5th congressional district, Hefley endorsed his longtime aide and former administrative director Jeff Crank. In a contentious and closely watched primary held on August 8, 2006, Lamborn narrowly defeated Crank and four other candidates to secure the Republican nomination. He campaigned on strongly conservative positions, including opposition to gun control, opposition to abortion except when the life of the mother is threatened, opposition to federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, support for denying public benefits to individuals in the country illegally, and opposition to new eminent domain rulings that expanded government authority. In the November 7, 2006, general election, Lamborn defeated Democratic nominee Lieutenant Colonel Jay Fawcett, securing his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Once in Congress, Lamborn established himself as a reliable conservative voice and consistently won reelection in the heavily Republican 5th district. In 2008, he faced a rematch of sorts in the Republican primary when Jeff Crank and Major General Bentley Rayburn, both of whom had lost to him in the 2006 primary, challenged him again. On August 12, 2008, Lamborn prevailed with 45 percent of the 56,171 votes cast, compared with 29 percent for Crank and 26 percent for Rayburn. He went on to defeat Democratic nominee Lieutenant Colonel Hal Bidlack in the general election. In subsequent cycles, Lamborn continued to face both primary and general election opponents. He was challenged by Democratic nominee Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Bradley in a later election and won reelection. In another Republican primary, businessman Robert Blaha opposed him; Lamborn defeated Blaha by a margin of 62 to 38 percent, aided in part by support from conservative organizations, including the Eagle Forum political action committee founded by Phyllis Schlafly. In the 2014 election cycle, he was challenged by Democratic nominee Major General Irv Halter and won with 59.8 percent of the vote.

Lamborn continued to secure his party’s nomination and hold his seat through the 2010s and early 2020s. In January 2018, he announced that he would run for reelection in the 2018 elections. His candidacy encountered a legal challenge when questions were raised about the validity of petition signatures and residency issues, leading the Colorado Supreme Court initially to disqualify him from appearing on the June primary ballot. Lamborn then sought relief in federal court, and a federal judge ruled in his favor on First Amendment grounds, reinstating him on the ballot. He faced and defeated three challengers in the 2018 Republican primary and subsequently won the general election, extending his tenure in Congress. On January 9 of a later cycle, Lamborn declared his candidacy for an eighth House term. He qualified for the primary ballot in March with over 2,000 valid signatures and won the June 30 primary unopposed. In the November general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Jillian Freeland, further solidifying his long-standing hold on Colorado’s 5th congressional district.

Across his nine terms from 2007 to 2025, Lamborn’s congressional service coincided with major events in American political life, including changes in presidential administrations, prolonged military engagements abroad, and significant debates over federal spending, national security, and social policy. As a member of the House of Representatives, he consistently aligned with conservative positions and worked to represent the interests of his Colorado Springs–based district, which includes a substantial military presence and defense-related institutions. His decision, announced on January 5, 2024, not to seek reelection in 2024 brought to a close more than three decades of continuous elected service at the state and federal levels.