29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats longtime Democratic congresswoman in Colorado upset

The Ethiopian-born attorney unseated Rep. Diana DeGette after nearly three decades in Congress, marking another victory for the party’s progressive wing.

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old lawyer and democratic socialist who immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia as a baby, has defeated Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary, toppling one of the longest-serving members of Congress in a stunning upset.

Kiros’s primary win was called by the Associated Press just after 10 p.m. Tuesday with Kiros holding a nearly 7,000-vote lead, capping a grassroots campaign backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Socialists of America. TheGrio reported last week on three Mamdani-backed democratic socialist candidates winning congressional primaries in New York City, a wave Kiros’ victory now extends to Colorado. TheGrio also profiled Janeese Lewis George, another democratic socialist poised to make history as DC’s next mayor, as part of the same national shift within the Democratic Party. According to The Guardian, Kiros is poised to become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress after winning in the reliably blue Denver-area district.

DeGette, 68, has represented the district since 1997, months before Kiros was born. She is the seventh House member to lose renomination this election cycle and the third in just seven days. Kiros’s campaign grew from viral Instagram videos into a volunteer army that knocked on 100,000 doors, with over $1 million spent by her campaign and outside supporters. She ran on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, which became a flashpoint in the race.

“Denver voters of all ages, of all races, of all religions sent a clear message: We will not wait!” Kiros told supporters at her victory party. She also drew a sharp contrast with the Democratic establishment: “The thing is, fighting Trump is just one piece of the problem. Trump is not the cause. He’s a symptom of a system that is broken and has been broken for a really long time because our party has failed to understand the role that they need to take in getting money out of our politics.”

The result follows wins by Darializa Avila Chevalier over Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Claire Valdez in an open Brooklyn seat last week, all backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

DeGette’s campaign did not immediately comment on the result.