Socialist Melat Kiros defeated incumbent Diana DeGette in a stunning upset in Colorado
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Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a 30-year incumbent, lost to a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-based challenger in a high-profile contest Tuesday evening.
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old socialist, defeated DeGette in the Democratic primary for the deep blue House seat in Denver, according to the Associated Press, scoring a landslide victory for the leftist socialist on Tuesday evening.
The DSA intended to tout DeGette’s loss as evidence of growing momentum after a number of Socialist candidates won the Democratic primaries in New York City last week.
“Today, east coast, next week Mountain West,” DSA wrote on social media last week.
Representative Diana DeGette speaks during a press conference outside the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, on Jan. 10, 2024. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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If elected in November, Kiros, who was born in Ethiopia, will likely join a left-wing party known as the Squad and become one of the few outspoken Socialists in the House Chamber.
The millennial contender was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the left-wing anti-Justice Democrats. Controversial Socialist broadcaster Hasan Piker, who said Hamas is “a thousand times better” than Israel and praised the Chinese Communist Party, also backed Kiros’ first run.
DeGette, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who supports the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sought to win a 16th term in the House by changing his leftist bona fides. He indicated that his position on the powerful House committee would allow him to push for Medicare-for-All legislation – a longtime priority on the left side of the party.
DeGette, who was endorsed by former CPC Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also touted her experience as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.
Although DeGette and Kiros shared few policy differences, they differed most on Israel and anti-Semitism. Kiros also heavily criticized DeGette for accepting corporate PAC donations.
Kiros, a PhD student and lawyer, was fired from the New York firm in 2023 after publishing an open letter, saying that Palestinian student protesters seeking the abolition of Israel were anti-cultural and appeared to be defending Hamas.
Melat Kiros participates in the League of Women Voters Congressional District 1 forum at Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver on May 28, 2026. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post)
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He also described the attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023 as “the inevitable result of apartheid” and refused to describe the bombing of protesters in Boulder last year who were calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as anti-Semitic.
“I don’t know what was in the heart of this criminal,” said Kiros Colorado’s 9News in a recent television interview. “All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might believe.”
A June 2025 bipartisan resolution condemning the attack as part of a “surge of ideologically motivated attacks on Jewish people” won the support of all lawmakers present, except for Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted in favor.
Kiros also suggested that the United States deserved 9/11.
“It’s inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a large part of the Middle East that forced people to believe that another act of violence was the only answer,” Kiros told 9News when asked if he thought terrorist attacks were “an inevitable consequence of American foreign policy.”
“Also, as I have said before, our responsibility is to eliminate those conditions that lead to violence in the first place,” continued Kiros.
DeGette argued that Kiros’ hugs to Piker and his comments about anti-Semitism and 9/11 were alienating him.
“I am shocked and disgusted that Kiros is doubling down on justifying terrorism and the killing of innocent people,” the 30-year-old employee wrote on Facebook earlier this month.
Broadcaster and creator Hasan Piker speaks at a press conference on the second day of Web Summit Vancouver at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, Canada, on May 13, 2026. (Sam Barnes/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Colorado’s 1st Congressional District is the most liberal seat in the state and voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by 56 points in 2024.
The first fight was also contested by University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, who also ran for DeGette’s seat. Although James did not pose the same threat as Kiros, his vote share may have swayed the competition.
