U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a 40-year-old Democrat from Aurora, was thrust into a national spotlight Wednesday when he was appointed one of seven House managers for the impending impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Crow was arguably the most unassuming figure chosen. As he delivered articles of impeachment to the Senate on Wednesday and Thursday, he walked in the back of the line, behind Democratic colleagues who have become household names, like Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler, for their role in the impeachment drama.

Crow is a freshman congressman who defeated Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in the 2018 election by 11 points, becoming the first Democrat to represent the 6th District since its creation in the early 1980s. The race drew national attention and money after district voters split their ballots in 2016, re-electing moderate Republican Coffman while backing Democrat Hillary Clinton for president. The 6th District is diverse, with a significant population of Ethiopians and other immigrants in addition to Latinos.

The 2018 race was Crow’s first run for office. After college at the University of Wisconsin — Crow is from Wisconsin — he entered the Army and became a Ranger. He served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star for his service during the 2003 Battle of Samawah. He discusses military experiences often in his political life.

“My time in military service taught me that our democracy exists because men and women stand up to fight for it,” Crow said Wednesday, after being named an impeachment manager. “It’s a belief that drove me to serve my country in combat and led me to the halls of Congress.”

After leaving the military, he studied law at the University of Denver and became an attorney. He and his wife, Deserai, have two children. They live in the Aurora portion of the Stapleton neighborhood, where they moved after he began running for Congress.