Diana DeGette Faces Primary Challenge from 29-Year-Old Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros in Colorado’s 1st District

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and lawyer, is challenging Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary. CNN reported that Kiros outperformed DeGette in the party caucus and assembly process this spring, though DeGette narrowly qualified for the ballot.

The race has drawn attention after all of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed U.S. House candidates won their primaries the previous week. Kiros said voters have realized that party leadership is failing to meet the moment and that new leaders are needed to fight for working people.

Justice Democrats-backed candidates held a group chat within hours of the New York results to discuss boosting Kiros through fundraising, phone banking, or campaigning. Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for the group, said every race this cycle has added momentum to the next.

DeGette, who has represented the district for nearly three decades, said she has won contested primaries before and is confident about this one.

She argued that now is not the time to send someone with no experience to Washington. More than $1.5 million has been spent by Pro-Choice Majority Action in the final days to support DeGette, while a super PAC registered April 29 has aired ads attacking Kiros. Sen.

Bernie Sanders endorsed Kiros earlier this month. Kiros was fired from a law firm in 2023 after refusing to remove an open letter arguing that student protesters’ calls for the elimination of Israel should not be conflated with antisemitism. She declined to describe a firebomb attack on protesters showing support for Israeli hostages held by Hamas as antisemitism, stating she did not know what was in the heart of the perpetrator.