Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and former lawyer, defeated 15-term US Representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary for a Denver-area congressional district, according to media projections. With about 78 percent of the vote counted, Kiros held a lead of nearly 7,000 votes. She is now favored to win the general election in the heavily Democratic district, marking a significant primary loss for an incumbent and the latest in a series of wins by left-wing challengers over more established Democrats.
Kiros, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia as a baby, ran as a critic of the Democratic Party’s support for Israel and of corporate political action committee money. She was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and backed by Justice Democrats. Her campaign aligned with a broader push by democratic socialists and other progressive candidates seeking to build on recent primary victories, including wins by candidates tied to the Democratic Socialists of America in New York City.
The race also exposed sharp divisions inside the party over ideology, experience and the direction of Democratic politics. Supporters of Kiros have cast her candidacy as part of a generational and ideological shift, while DeGette argued in a recent debate that this was not the moment to send someone without governing experience to Washington. DeGette had highlighted her support for abortion rights, Medicare for All and defunding and dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Kiros also faced scrutiny during the campaign over her refusal to describe the firebombing of a Boulder group calling for the release of Israeli hostages as antisemitic, saying she could not speak to the attacker’s motives but that innocent people had been targeted.
The primary took place alongside other closely watched Democratic contests in Colorado that reflected broader debate over how the party should respond to President Donald Trump. In the governor’s race, Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination, after campaigning on his legal fights with the Trump administration. State Representative Manny Rutinel also won the Democratic nomination in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, a battleground seat Democrats see as a prime pickup opportunity in the November midterms. Democrats need to gain three seats to retake the House and four to win control of the Senate.