Melat Kiros Defeats U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado 1st District Primary

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Democratic socialist, defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s U.S. House primary for the 1st Congressional District, ending DeGette’s 15 terms in office.

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The victory came in the Denver-area district that Kiros was set to represent, and the race was framed by Kiros as a generational showdown with the Democratic establishment.

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Kiros told her supporters, “We are not going to wait to take on Donald Trump and the oligarchy,” as she addressed the crowd during her Tuesday night celebration.

In the same Colorado primary day, Senator John Hickenlooper defeated Julie Gonzales, while Democrat Senator Michael Bennet lost in his bid to become Colorado’s next governor after being defeated in the primaries by state attorney general Phil Weiser.

Democracy Now! described Kiros’ win as coming despite “a large amount of money from anonymous contributions, known as dark money,” used to hinder her campaign and back DeGette’s reelection.

The outlet also said money was channeled indirectly by a super PAC operated by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to outside groups such as Pro-Choice Majority Action.

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In a separate framing, Fox News said the DSA aimed to cast DeGette’s loss as evidence of its growing momentum after socialist candidates won Democratic primaries in New York City last week.

Fox News quoted Kiros’ campaign positioning on the fight ahead, reporting that “If elected in November, Kiros, who was born in Ethiopia, will likely join the Squad.”

The Colorado primary results were presented as part of a broader progressive surge ahead of the midterms, with Diario Libre saying the anti-system left secured “a string of victories in the United States primaries” months before the midterm elections.

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Diario Libre also quoted Bernie Sanders on X, writing, “The tide is turning,” as he congratulated Kiros on her “extraordinary victory” over a lawmaker who had held the post for 30 years.

In the same coverage, Trump told reporters at the White House that “They use the words 'Socialist Democrats' because it sounds nice, but what they're actually talking about is communism,” linking the rise of the left to a threat to the nation.

As Kiros moved toward November, FourStatesHomepage said her win was expected to carry her into the general election and reach Congress in January, while also quoting her promise to supporters: “We are just getting started.”