---
title: "Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Unseats Longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado"
description: "Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old attorney and democratic socialist, has defeated Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Denver's House seat, according to a race projection — a stunning upset that would end DeGette's nearly three decades in Congress and extend a wave of insurgent left-wing primary wins."
category: "U.S."
category_url: https://herald.la/category/us
author: "Julian Mercado"
published: 2026-07-01T03:48:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-01T03:48:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/democratic-socialist-melat-kiros-unseats-longtime-rep-diana-degette-in-colorado
tags: ["Colorado", "Congress", "Diana DeGette", "Melat Kiros", "DSA", "Democratic primary", "2026 elections"]
---
# Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Unseats Longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old attorney and democratic socialist, has defeated Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Denver's House seat, according to a race projection — a stunning upset that would end DeGette's nearly three decades in Congress and extend a wave of insurgent left-wing primary wins.

A day after we noted the race was too close to call, it has been called — against one of the longest-serving Democrats in the House.

## The upset

Decision Desk HQ projected Melat Kiros as the winner of the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st Congressional District, defeating Rep. Diana DeGette, [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-01/kiros-wins-colorado-democratic-house-primary-ddhq-projects). (The Associated Press had not separately called the race as of this writing.) In election-night returns, Kiros led with roughly 49 percent to DeGette's 44 percent, with a third candidate trailing, [per Colorado Politics](https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/06/30/melat-kiros-shocks-15-term-incumbent-diana-degette-by-taking-early-lead-in-colorados-1st-cd-democratic-primary/); results are preliminary until certified. Because Denver's seat is overwhelmingly Democratic, the primary winner is heavily favored in November — meaning Kiros is now poised to head to Congress and DeGette, who has held the seat since 1997, is poised to leave it.

## Who Kiros is

Kiros, born in 1997 — the year DeGette first took office — immigrated from Ethiopia as an infant and is a first-time candidate aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, [the Colorado Sun reported](https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/26/melat-kiros-diana-degette-race-colorado/). She was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and backed by the group Justice Democrats. Her campaign leaned on a critique of establishment Democratic politics and a platform of housing, health care and education "as human rights," Medicare for All, and a refusal of corporate PAC money. "Our victory today is a collective one," she said in a statement, calling it "a victory against big money and establishment politics." She had signaled her strength months earlier by dominating the district's party-assembly delegate vote.

## Money and a contested foreign-policy fight

The race drew a heavy flood of outside money in DeGette's defense — including, by some reports, hundreds of thousands of dollars from a pro-Israel super PAC and close to $2 million in total, much of it in ads attacking Kiros. Kiros made opposition to U.S. arms sales to Israel central to her campaign, and DeGette attacked her over it — including for describing the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack as an "inevitable consequence" of Israeli policy and for declining to call a firebombing that targeted Jewish demonstrators in Boulder antisemitic. Kiros did not publicly retract either position. The Herald is attributing these characterizations to the campaigns and reporting; on domestic policy, the two candidates held broadly similar views.

## The bigger picture

The result follows democratic-socialist primary upsets earlier this cycle in New York City, and it landed as the clearest sign yet that the movement's momentum could travel. Kiros, if confirmed and elected in November, would be among the youngest members of Congress and, by her campaign's account, its first Ethiopian-born member. DeGette, 68, a senior member of the caucus who had never lost a primary, had not issued a formal concession as of press time. The Herald will update the story as results are certified and as the losing side responds.

## Sources

- [Democratic socialist ousts House lawmaker DeGette, DDHQ projects](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-01/kiros-wins-colorado-democratic-house-primary-ddhq-projects)
- [How Melat Kiros came to the verge of unseating Diana DeGette](https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/26/melat-kiros-diana-degette-race-colorado/)
- [Kiros takes an early lead over the 15-term incumbent in Colorado's 1st CD primary](https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/06/30/melat-kiros-shocks-15-term-incumbent-diana-degette-by-taking-early-lead-in-colorados-1st-cd-democratic-primary/)