ICYMI: Congressman Crow’s Next Generation Leadership Profiled in The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow was profiled by The New York Times Opinion writer Michelle Cottle in her latest piece, “How Can Democrats Win Back Power? Listen to Jason Crow.” The article highlights Congressman Crow's next generation style of leadership and how the Democratic Party can begin to win back the trust of voters, particularly in red and rural areas. 

“You have to show a genuine interest in people, and you have to be curious about them,” Congressman Crow told Cottle. “You just can’t come right in and start a policy discussion and start beating people over the heads with your policy prescriptions. That’s not the way you build trust — you know, start waving around our 21-point plans. You’ll immediately be shut out. You have to sit down and ask about people’s lives.”

Cottle also spoke to several leading Democrats about Congressman Crow’s leadership.

“Congressman Crow is an excellent messenger on national security and how we govern from the center,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11) told Cottle.

“Jason gets it,”  Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) shared. “He understands almost better than anyone what it means to actually genuinely represent the full breadth of the Democratic coalition.”

“He’s exactly what we need,” James Carville shared. “He’s not coastal. He went to a state school. 75th Ranger battalion. Effective. Articulate. Honestly, what’s there not to like?”’

“He can translate his message to a conservative audience without sacrificing his values,” said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.

Other highlights from the piece, include: 

“Nothing conveys independence and builds trust quite like a politician standing up to his own leadership, and here Mr. Crow is a standout,” Cottle wrote.

“While stressing that there are ‘so many great Democrats winning in tough areas,’ Mr. Crow has thoughts about how to revamp the brand. ‘We need to stop defending government and instead go back to our roots of government reform,’ he told me,” Cottle wrote.

“But Mr. Crow also grew up hunting ‘everything that flies or walks or runs through the woods,’ and he recognizes the importance of hunting in many people’s lives. ‘For us to ignore that and to write that off or to malign it — and for some Democrats it’s literally not to know what the hell they’re talking about,’ he said, ‘is unforgivable,’” Cottle wrote.

“‘You need to have the right people of integrity, servant leaders who understand their communities, who are respected by their communities, deliver that message,’ he ventured. ‘I look to prior service. What is that person done with their life before politics? Have they built the business? Have they serve in the military or Peace Corps?’” Mr. Crow said.

“And his main piece of advice for any candidate is a simple one: Be authentic. ‘People will know if you’re bull-shitting them,’ he warned,” Cottle wrote.

“There is no quick or easy road out of the wilderness for Democrats,’ Mr. Crow said. ‘The secret is, there is no secret.’ You just have to rebuild trust one voter at a time. ‘That’s done through individual leadership, through town halls, through engagement,’ he said. ‘By showing up.’”

Congressman Crow grew up working class – he enlisted in the National Guard and worked construction to help pay his way through college. After graduating, Crow joined the active duty Army and served in the Army’s storied 82nd Airborne Division and in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. After his service, he continued to look for ways to serve his country, eventually becoming the first Democrat to ever represent Colorado’s 6th Congressional District. Now in his 4th term, Crow is focused on delivering servant leadership for Colorado and our country.

You can read the full profile here.

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