Former lawyer Melat Kiros, 29, has criticised the Democrats for their support of Israel during its genocidal war on Gaza.
Published On 1 Jul 2026
Democratic socialist Melat Kiros has defeated 15-term United States Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary in a Denver-area district in Colorado, according to US media projections, the latest victory of a leftist over an establishment Democrat.
The race on Tuesday was called by multiple media outlets after 78 percent of the votes were counted and Kiros had a nearly 7,000-vote lead over DeGette.
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Kiros, who moved to the US from Ethiopia as a baby, had faced controversy over her criticism of Democrats who support Israel and her alliance with socialist political commentator Hasan Piker.
She is now favoured to win November’s election in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.
Kiros, a 29-year-old former lawyer, was fired from her job after refusing to remove a post that criticised law firms for their stance on Israel and Palestine and has called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide.
Kiros is the latest democratic socialist to oust an incumbent Democrat this summer.
In New York City, three candidates with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primaries.
Also on Tuesday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser beat US Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination for governor, US media projected.
Weiser outraised and outspent Bennet in a race that was largely about who was best positioned to defend Colorado against President Donald Trump, who froze federal funds to the state and vetoed a major drinking water project in Colorado, where voters have trended Democratic in elections over the past 20 years.
The attorney general argued that he stood up to the Trump administration in court, where he fought against the funding freeze and the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Weiser is expected to be elected governor in November.
State Representative Manny Rutinel also won the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican US Representative Gabe Evans in a battleground district that Democrats consider a top pickup opportunity in the November 3 midterm elections, according to projections.
Rutinel, a progressive candidate, defeated moderate former state Representative Shannon Bird in a campaign that focused heavily on immigration. The district in Denver’s northern suburbs and nearby rural area is nearly 40 percent Latino.
Evans narrowly won his seat in 2024 but has a significant cash advantage over Rutinel, reporting $3.4m on hand in campaign funds to Rutinel’s $910,000.
Trump’s Republican Party now holds a slim majority in the US House of Representatives and Senate. Democrats need to net three seats to win control of the House in November and four to win the Senate.