Melat Kiros defeats 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's 1st District primary
Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old first-time candidate, defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary on June 30, marking a significant shift in the state’s congressional representation and adding momentum to a national wave of progressive challenges to establishment Democrats.
DeGette, first elected to Congress in 1996, had rarely faced serious primary challengers in her nearly 30-year career representing Denver. Kiros’ victory came on the heels of similar upsets in New York, where democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the 13th District last week. Both races reflected growing frustration among Democratic voters with party leadership in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election.
Kiros immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia as a baby and worked as an associate at a large law firm in New York City before being fired in 2023 for…