Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old former lawyer who lost her job after refusing to delete a social media post that publicly called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide has defeated 15-term United States (US) Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for a Denver-area district in Colorado.
Multiple US media outlets called the race on Tuesday after 78 percent of the votes were counted, showing Kiros with a lead of nearly 7,000 votes over DeGette. She enters the November election as the favorite to win the heavily Democratic district.
Kiros, who moved to the US from Ethiopia as an infant, previously faced criticism from Zionist accounts about her alliance with socialist political commentator Hasan Piker and her public condemnation of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
She heavily criticized the Democratic Party for supporting Israel during the genocide.
The primary outcome follows other progressive victories this summer. In New York City, three candidates with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, who received endorsements from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won their respective primary races.
In another Colorado primary race on Tuesday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated US Senator Michael Bennet to secure the Democratic nomination for governor. Weiser outspent and outraised Bennet throughout a campaign that focused on who could best defend the state against US President Donald Trump.
Weiser highlighted his legal opposition to the Trump administration, noting that he fought the funding freeze and the administration’s attempts to end birthright citizenship in court. Weiser expects to win the gubernatorial election in November.
