Melat Kiros defeats Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado Democratic primary

Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary Democratic Socialists in the US netted a landmark win on Tuesday after a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and political newcomer unseated a member of Congress who has held that job since before she was born. Melat Kiros, a lawyer and PhD student, mounted a stunning upset for establishment Democrats after she was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes the state capital, Denver.  Kiros' opponent, Diana DeGette, had not yet acknowledged the results of the race on either of her two X accounts by Wednesday morning, but had received the backing of Colorado's elected Democratic Party leaders in a state that has long been a deep Democratic blue.  As of 11am local time in Denver on Wednesday, just over 81 percent of the votes had been counted, but the Associated Press, which typically calls the races in the US, declared Kiros the projected winner at midnight, indicating that DeGette's numbers have no chance of catching up. Read more: Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary

Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary Democratic Socialists in the US netted a landmark win on Tuesday after a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and political newcomer unseated a member of Congress who has held that job since before she was born. Melat Kiros, a lawyer and PhD student, mounted a stunning upset for establishment Democrats after she was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes the state capital, Denver.  Kiros' opponent, Diana DeGette, had not yet acknowledged the results of the race on either of her two X accounts by Wednesday morning, but had received the backing of Colorado's elected Democratic Party leaders in a state that has long been a deep Democratic blue.  As of 11am local time in Denver on Wednesday, just over 81 percent of the votes had been counted, but the Associated Press, which typically calls the races in the US, declared Kiros the projected winner at midnight, indicating that DeGette's numbers have no chance of catching up. DeGette spent three decades on Capitol Hill, and according to the watchdog Aipac Tracker, has received well over $1.6m from the pro-Israel lobbying group in that time. Read more: Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros addresses supporters at an election-night watch party after winning the Colorado primary on 30 June 2026 in Denver, Colorado (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images via AFP)  

Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 16:26 The upset for establishment Democrats follows a similar wave across blue states emboldened by Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros addresses supporters at an election-night watch party after winning the Colorado primary on 30 June 2026 in Denver, Colorado (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images via AFP) Off Democratic Socialists in the US netted a landmark win on Tuesday after a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and political newcomer unseated a member of Congress who has held that job since before she was born. Melat Kiros, a lawyer and PhD student, mounted a stunning upset for establishment Democrats after she was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes the state capital, Denver.  Kiros' opponent, Diana DeGette, had not yet acknowledged the results of the race on either of her two X accounts by Wednesday morning, but had received the backing of Colorado's elected Democratic Party leaders in a state that has long been a deep Democratic blue.  As of 11am local time in Denver on Wednesday, just over 81 percent of the votes had been counted, but the Associated Press, which typically calls the races in the US, declared Kiros the projected winner at midnight, indicating that DeGette's numbers have no chance of catching up. DeGette spent three decades on Capitol Hill, and according to the watchdog Aipac Tracker, has received well over $1.6m from the pro-Israel lobbying group in that time.  "If the only issue that you care about is this issue, then you should not vote for me," DeGette famously told a voter in March who confronted her about not supporting the Block the Bombs Act in Congress to limit weapons transfers to Israel. Kiros, an outspoken critic of Israel, is now all but guaranteed that seat in the House of Representatives in the November midterm election. She joins the ranks of pro-Palestine progressives from Maine, to New York and New Jersey, and into Pennsylvania who have recently sealed Democratic primary wins that are almost certainly sending them to Washington, DC.  'I didn't flinch' In her victory speech on Tuesday, Kiros recounted how she was fired from the multinational law firm Sidley Austin in 2023 for supporting the anti-war protests that had taken hold across US college campuses. "When I wrote a letter defending students’ rights to protest the genocide in Gaza... my law firm told me, take it down or you’re fired," she said.  Aipac rebuffed as Mamdani-backed candidates sweep NYC Democratic primaries Read More » "I didn’t flinch. I didn’t flinch because I stood by every word, and I always will. But I know that will not be the only moment where those in power will tell me to change my tune, to not rock the boat. That seems to happen a lot in Congress." Jewish Voice for Peace, which backed Kiros' campaign, said on Wednesday that "in the final weeks, corporate dark money flooded the race to stop Melat - much of it from AIPAC, Amazon, and Lockheed Martin... and they smeared Melat as antisemitic for refusing to stay silent about Israel's genocide".  The Democratic National Committee (DNC), the official body that steers the party and sends out congratulatory press releases to winning candidates on election nights, did not acknowledge Kiros' victory until nearly 10 hours after the results were declared.  "Melat Kiros is fighting to make the American dream a reality for the hardworking people of Colorado. She is a tireless advocate within her community and has consistently stood up for her neighbors," DNC chair Ken Martin said. "In Congress, she will be a fierce champion for expanding access to healthcare, investing in childcare, making housing more affordable, protecting workers’ rights, and ensuring corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. The DNC is ready to work alongside her to lower costs and deliver for working families." The DNC has come under fire for not openly acknowledging that its presidential candidate in 2024, Kamala Harris, lost the election in part due to her refusal to condemn Israel's genocide in Gaza and pressure it to end its war on the enclave. As of 30 June, at least 73,066  Palestinians have been killed, based on deaths recorded by Gaza's health ministry. It has also largely stood by its ageing establishment candidates, despite poll after poll showing that younger Democratic Socialists, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, are now setting the bar for the next generation of lawmakers.  Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Kiros, congratulated her on X. "The tide is turning," he wrote. "Americans are tired of status quo politics." US Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Centrist House Democrats are alarmed after realizing that democratic socialists can beat them in primaries outside of New York City.On Tuesday, 29-year-old democratic socialist, lawyer, and Ethiopian immigrant Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Colorado Representative Dianna DeGette in a high-turnout election by an impressive ten-point margin, according to early results.DeGette is a longtime member of the Democratic establishment and was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. But even with her progressive status, her support from dark money corporate super PACs and pro-Israel PACs, as well as her staunch support for Israel, made her particularly vulnerable to an attack from a candidate like Kiros—who was fired from her job over a social media post criticizing law firms’ support for Israel. Yet establishment Democrats still seem to be stunned by DeGette’s loss.“One more case in the growing dynamic of performative politics,” an anonymous House Democrat told Axios. “Diana was an excellent representative with seniority—but the style of someone younger and more outspoken has become more attractive to that cohort of motivated urban left voters.”BREAKING: Rep. DeGette gets heated with a constituent pressing her on why she voted to send bombs to Israel:"If this the only issue that you care about is this issue, then you should not vote for me" DeGette, who's 68, is facing a primary challenge from @MelatKirosCO. pic.twitter.com/sGEiqDPfOl— Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@sunrisemvmt) March 19, 2026Another senior House Democrat called it a “wake-up call.” “I told everyone that would listen in 2024, that Trump winning was like manna from heaven to DSA,” another told the publication. “That DSA is … winning some safe seat primaries with these young white college-educated voters is just no shock. It’s literally their entire playbook.”But Kiros’s supporters point to the will of the voters, not a greater playbook.“If DeGette didn’t deserve a primary, Denverites wouldn’t have elected Melat by 10 points,” Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi told Axios. “All this outrage proves is the Democratic establishment’s contempt for their own voters.… It’s time for the party to catch up to its own base who are no longer interested in politicians who call themselves progressive but are bankrolled by corporate lobbies and AIPAC while voting to fund genocide and ICE.”Kiros’s victory comes on the heels of a clean sweep of Democratic Socialists of America victories in New York City, as Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Representative Adriano Espaillat and Assemblymember Claire Valdez became the Democratic nominee in the 7th congressional district.“Denver voters of all ages, of all races, of all religions, sends a clear message: We will not wait,” Kiros said in her victory speech Tuesday night. “We will not wait to take the fight to Donald Trump and the oligarchy. We will not wait. We will not wait to abolish ICE and Medicare for all. We will not wait to put an end to the politics of the past, to get big money out of our politics, and to reject corporate packs at AIPAC. And no, we will not wait to end the genocide in Palestine. We believe that fundamental change can and will happen if we fight for it.”🎥 Recalling how she was fired from her law firm after refusing to remove a letter defending pro-Palestinian student protesters, Melat Kiros said, “I didn’t flinch because I stood by every word and I always will.”She added: “I know that will not be the only moment where those… pic.twitter.com/iI41zQp5wn— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) July 1, 2026

A democratic socialist who lost her job for speaking out about Gaza unseated a 29-year incumbent. The post Socialist Momentum Grows as Melat Kiros Wins in Denver appeared first on The Intercept.