Democratic socialist Melat Kiros wins Colorado House primary over long-time incumbent
Thirty-year-old Melat Kiros defeated 15-term Democrat Diana DeGette in the Denver-based 1st District primary, positioning her for the November general election.
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, secured the Democratic nomination for Colorado’s 1st congressional district by defeating incumbent Representative Diana DeGette in Tuesday’s primary. The district, which encompasses most of Denver, is heavily Democratic, making Kiros’s victory a strong indicator of her likely election in November.
Kiros, born in Ethiopia and a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame Law School, entered politics after a dispute with her former law firm over a blog post about campus protests of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Her campaign was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialists of America and the Justice Democrats.
"Melat and our candidates continue winning this cycle because Democratic voters are finally getting leaders acting on their demands to bring the fight to the corporations raising our prices, the war lobbies profiting off endless war & genocide, and the immigration gestapo terrorizing our communities," said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats.
Kiros highlighted U.S. support for Israel as a central issue, calling for an arms embargo on the country. DeGette, while opposing the supply of offensive weapons to Israel, affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.
The primary also featured other notable races: Attorney General Phil Weiser narrowly beat Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and state Rep. Manny Rutinel won a contested primary in the state’s most competitive House district. Incumbent Senator John Hickenlooper retained his nomination against a progressive challenger.
Kiros’s win adds to a series of recent primary defeats for long-standing Democratic incumbents in high-profile districts.
