Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and lawyer, challenges 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary today, marking DeGette’s most serious primary contest in her nearly 30-year career.
Kiros, who immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia as a baby, launched her campaign last year and qualified narrowly for the ballot at the party’s caucus and assembly in March, where she actually outperformed the incumbent. The race has drawn national attention as part of a broader wave of progressive primary challenges to longtime Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.
The 29-year-old candidate centers her campaign on criticizing DeGette’s acceptance of corporate PAC donations, including from the healthcare industry, and on her own support for Medicare for All and an arms embargo on Israel. “It’s less about left versus right than whether you’re on the side of working people,” said Ravi Mangla, a spokesperson for the Working Families Party, which endorsed Kiros. “And when you’re an elected official — like Diana DeGette — taking money from Big Pharma and ICE contractors, it becomes incredibly hard to make the case that you’re on the side of people.”
DeGette, 68, has defended her progressive record, pointing to her role as an impeachment manager during Donald Trump’s first trial in 2019 and her support for abortion rights and Medicare for All. “Now is not the time to gamble and send someone with no experience to Washington,” she argued at a recent candidate forum. She denied that corporate donations influence her votes, saying, “Nobody ever gave me a contribution and got anything in advance for that.”
Kiros received a late endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders earlier this month. Justice Democrats, a group backing progressive candidates, endorsed Kiros and has spent over $500,000 supporting her campaign. In the final days before the primary, pro-DeGette groups have mounted a major spending surge: Pro-Choice Majority Action spent more than $1.5 million on ads boosting DeGette and attacking Kiros, while a newly formed super PAC called Mile High Accountability Project spent $350,000 supporting the incumbent.
The Colorado race follows a wave of democratic socialist primary victories in New York last week. When Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist challenger endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, unseated longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District, it signaled growing momentum for progressive insurgent candidates. Both Chevalier and Kiros have made criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza central to their campaigns. “I think this cycle, particularly Democratic voters are just so fed up with the establishment’s failures, not only in defeating Donald Trump, but defending our communities against Donald Trump, since he’s been elected,” said Usamah Andrabi, communications director for Justice Democrats.
A third candidate, University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, also qualified for the ballot. DeGette said she was “optimistic” about winning renomination, arguing that “Denver, Colorado, is not New York City.” But Kiros countered that the two cities share progressive values and face similar challenges with rising costs of living, saying, “This is one of the most progressive and one of the youngest districts in the country.”
Sources
- The 19th News — Detailed reporting on Kiros, DeGette, and the race dynamics, including candidate statements and campaign strategy.
- CNN — Analysis of the race as part of the progressive movement and context on the New York precedent.
- Colorado Politics — Confirmation of Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of Kiros on June 19, 2026.
