Radical Socialist Melat Kiros Ousts Veteran Democrat in Colorado Primary Upset
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Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old far-left activist and immigrant, defeats long-serving Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's Denver-area Democratic primary, raising concerns about the Democratic Party's shift toward extreme socialist policies ahead of November's election.
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old former lawyer who immigrated from Ethiopia, has secured the Democratic nomination for Colorado's Denver-area congressional district, toppling 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette. Media outlets called the race after 78 percent of votes were counted, with Kiros holding a lead of about 7,000 votes—a sign of the growing influence of radical left-wing factions within the Democratic Party.
Kiros, associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, has drawn criticism for her controversial statements on U.S. support for Israel and her ties to notorious socialist commentator Hasan Piker. She was previously fired for refusing to remove a post attacking law firms' positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, highlighting her willingness to push divisive, anti-Israel rhetoric.
Her victory adds to a troubling trend of primary wins by DSA-linked candidates, including three in New York City endorsed by far-left Mayor Zohran Mamdani, signaling a Democratic Party increasingly dominated by socialist ideology. In other Colorado races, Attorney General Phil Weiser, who has a record of opposing the Trump administration and defending policies like birthright citizenship, defeated Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. State Representative Manny Rutinel, another progressive, won the Democratic nod to challenge Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in a competitive district.
"I stood up to the Trump administration in court, fighting the funding freeze and defending birthright citizenship," Weiser said, highlighting the Democrats' continued resistance to conservative immigration reforms.
Kiros is now expected to win the general election in a district that has reliably voted Democratic, raising alarms about the further leftward lurch of the party and its embrace of radical socialist agendas.
