A democratic socialist unseats a 15-term congresswoman in Colorado

[Aepps22]

36. I Voted For Her But I Wouldn't Read Too Much Into It

I live in the district and voted for Gonzales, Weiser and Melat but I think the national narrative about the Colorado primaries is not quite accurate. Most of the criticism against Diane was about her age and not her actual policy decisions. There was very little separation in Melat’s positions and the positions Diane has had for 30 years. The only difference that everyone kept harping on was Diane’s age and her being in Congress for a long time.

The differences between Weiser and Bennet were even smaller. I am all for younger voices and younger politicians but in Melat’s case we are just replacing one progressive with another in a solidly blue district that supports progressive policies. I voted for Melat because I thought she was the better candidate but this isn’t the massive shift in this district that the media will play up. Had Diane taken this race seriously, attended debates with Ryan Clark moderating and actually campaigned 4 months ago she probably keeps her seat.