Colorado’s Democratic primary election on June 30 delivered two major upsets: Attorney General Phil Weiser won the gubernatorial nomination over U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, and 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the race for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. The results signal a shift in the state’s political landscape, with both moderate and progressive candidates finding support among party voters.
Weiser, who has served as Colorado’s attorney general since 2019, secured 55% of the vote compared to Bennet’s 45%, according to Colorado Public Radio. The race drew significant spending and attention, with Weiser pitching himself as a fighter willing to stand up to the Trump administration through his record of lawsuits challenging federal policies. “You chose fresh, energetic, and bold leadership,” Weiser told supporters at his election night watch party in Denver, describing a campaign that defied early predictions of an easy Bennet victory.
Bennet, a three-term senator, had entered the race as an establishment favorite with greater name recognition and resources. Yet Weiser’s support in the Denver metro area and along the I-70 corridor from Eagle County west to the Utah border proved decisive. Given Colorado’s blue-leaning electorate, Weiser is heavily favored to win the governor’s office in November to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
Kiros’s victory over DeGette was even more striking. The 29-year-old former lawyer and political newcomer captured 51% of the vote to DeGette’s 42%, with Colorado Public Radio reporting that Kiros led by nearly 5,000 votes as ballots were counted. DeGette, first elected to Congress in 1997, had faced her most formidable challenger in nearly three decades. Kiros, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, ran as a change candidate, criticizing DeGette for accepting corporate PAC money and arguing that the Democratic Party had failed to address systemic problems.
Kiros immigrated to Denver from Ethiopia as a baby and is positioned to become the first Gen Z woman in Congress, according to NPR. She is also a Ph.D. candidate and has drawn endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose backing helped fuel her campaign alongside grassroots organizing that saw volunteers knock on 100,000 doors, according to her campaign. At her election night celebration, Kiros told supporters, “Denver voters of all ages, of all races, of all religions sent a clear message: We will not wait,” and promised to fight for Medicare for all, housing-first policies, and against what she described as genocide in Palestine.
The Colorado results reflect a broader national pattern. Just one week prior, democratic socialists swept three primary races in New York, and Kiros’s victory continues that momentum. USA Today reported that both progressives and moderates emerged victorious in Colorado’s hotly contested Democratic primaries, suggesting the party’s internal divisions remain unresolved even as both camps prepare for November’s general election.
Weiser will face the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary, where State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer held a narrow lead over political newcomer Victor Marx and Scott Bottoms as votes were tallied. Kiros will face Republican Christy Peterson in the general election, though the Democratic nominee holds a substantial advantage in Denver’s deep-blue district.
Sources
- Colorado Public Radio — Weiser’s 55%-45% gubernatorial primary victory margin and Kiros’s 51%-42% congressional primary win; Kiros’s statement to supporters
- NPR — Kiros described as poised to become first Gen Z woman in Congress; primary victory details
- USA Today — Both progressives and moderates emerged victorious in Colorado’s Democratic primaries
- Al Jazeera — Kiros identified as 29-year-old democratic socialist and former lawyer; criticism of Democrats on Israel
- The Guardian — Kiros’s defeat of 15-term incumbent DeGette
- AP News — Kiros’s campaign spending and volunteer organizing details
