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Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Upsets DeGette in Colorado Primary

7/3/2026

Summary

Kiros Wins Primary

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Ethiopian-American democratic socialist, won Colorado’s 1st District Democratic primary on June 30, 2026, defeating Rep. Diana DeGette with 49.3 % of the vote to DeGette’s 43.5 %.
She secured endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Justice Democrats, Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party, and rejected corporate PAC money.
Kiros’ platform calls for Medicare for All, universal childcare, rent control, wealth redistribution, ICE abolition and ending U.S. aid to Israel.

Summary

Kiros Door-Knocking

Kiros’s campaign team knocked on 115,000 doors, a grassroots effort the campaign called decisive.
Kiros rejected corporate PAC money while Rep. Diana DeGette received a last-minute super PAC infusion.
Justice Democrats’ Usamah Andrabi said the win proved organized people power can beat money, ending 40 years of incumbency.
The door-to-door strategy signaled a shift toward mass-movement tactics in Colorado primaries.

History

Historical Context

The 2018 primary upset in New York, where Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated incumbent Joe Crowley with a grassroots, no-PAC campaign—outspending him 18 to 1—showed the power of activist networks. That model inspired the Democratic Socialists of America’s surge to over 100,000 members by 2026, a backdrop for Ethiopian-American Melat Kiros’s door-to-door victory over Diana DeGette in June 2026.

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Kiros Wins Primary

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Ethiopian-American democratic socialist, won Colorado’s 1st District Democratic primary on June 30, 2026, defeating Rep. Diana DeGette with 49.3 % of the vote to DeGette’s 43.5 %.
She secured endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Justice Democrats, Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party, and rejected corporate PAC money.
Kiros’ platform calls for Medicare for All, universal childcare, rent control, wealth redistribution, ICE abolition and ending U.S. aid to Israel.

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