A democratic socialist unseats a 15-term congresswoman in Colorado [View all]
Grace Panetta
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 7:32 PM MST
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and first-time candidate, ousted Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado in a primary challenge on Tuesday.
DeGette, a 15-term incumbent first elected in 1996, is the second member of Congress to lose her seat to a younger democratic socialist challenger after Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillait, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York's 13th District last week.
Chevalier's and Kiros' challenges came amid widespread discontent and frustration among Democratic voters with party leadership in the wake of President Donald Trump's election. Both Espaillat and DeGette are longtime progressives whom their opponents cast as representatives of a failing Democratic establishment beholden to corporate interests. Chevalier and Kiros both also have a history of pro-Palestine activism and made opposing Israel's war in Gaza central to their campaigns.
Kiros is all but assured to win the general election in the deep blue district, which encompasses most of the city and county of Denver.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democratic-socialist-unseats-15-term-023225646.html
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