Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and first-time candidate, ousted Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado in a primary challenge on Tuesday.
DeGette, a 15-term incumbent first elected in 1996, is the second member of Congress to lose her seat to a younger democratic socialist challenger after Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillait, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York’s 13th District last week.
Chevalier’s and Kiros’ challenges came amid widespread discontent and frustration among Democratic voters with party leadership in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election. Both Espaillat and DeGette are longtime progressives whom their opponents cast as representatives of a failing Democratic establishment beholden to corporate interests. Chevalier and Kiros both also have a history of pro-Palestine activism and made opposing Israel’s war in Gaza central to their campaigns.
Kiros is all but assured to win the general election in the deep blue district, which encompasses most of the city and county of Denver.
She, Chevalier and Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who won the Democratic primary for another New York City-based seat, are set to expand the ranks of democratic socialists in Congress. All three were endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats.
Kiros, who immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia with her family as a baby, was an associate at a large law firm in New York City before she was fired in 2023 for writing a letter criticizing law firms’ response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
She became a PhD student and barista after moving back to Denver and launched her campaign against DeGette last year on a message of generational change and getting corporate influence out of politics.
In an interview Friday, Kiros said Denver “doesn’t get enough credit” for being as progressive as it is.
“This is a state that really appreciates leaders that talk about the corruption in government, that talk about how rigged our economy is, and talk about the kind of programs that would meaningfully bring relief for working families,” she said.
Kiros and DeGette were largely aligned on policy, including opposing the Trump administration’s immigration agenda and supporting Medicare for All.
DeGette, 68, is the top Democrat on an influential subcommittee overseeing healthcare and pledged to hold hearings on Medicare for All if Democrats retake the House in November.
But Kiros singled out DeGette’s acceptance of campaign funds from corporate PACs, including from the healthcare industry, arguing they contradicted DeGette’s progressive stances. DeGette said the contributions did not influence her votes in Congress and argued that she, not Kiros, had the experience necessary to meet the moment.
In a brief interview at the Capitol on Thursday, DeGette expressed confidence in her chances of winning renomination and said, “Denver, Colorado is not New York City.”
Still, outside groups poured a last-minute influx of money into the race aiming to boost DeGette and oppose Kiros. Much of the pro-DeGette spending came from Pro-Choice Majority Action, a PAC linked to Elect Democratic Women, which spent over $1.5 million in the final two weeks of the campaign.
“I think what we’re seeing right now in New York, and also other places around the country, is that when a party is actually responsive to the needs of voters, they will come out and support, they will volunteer, they will be a part of a movement if that movement is fighting for them,” Kiros said. “That’s what we saw in New York, and that’s what we’re going to see here in Denver too.”
The primary race in the 1st District was one of several that tested the power of the insurgent left in Colorado. Also on Tuesday, Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Sen. Michael Bennet in an unexpectedly competitive Democratic primary for governor and Sen. John Hickenlooper faced a primary challenge from the left from state Sen. Julie Gonzales.
Democratic state Rep. Manny Rutinel defeated former state Rep. Shannon Bird in the primary for the battleground 8th Congressional District, held by GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, set to be one of the most competitive in the country in November.
