Melat Kiros was born in 1997, the year her representative in the U.S. House, Democrat Diana DeGette, took office. On Tuesday, Kiros hopes to unseat her.
The next frontier of the fight for the Democratic Party is in Denver, where DeGette, a 15-term incumbent and longtime progressive, is facing her most serious primary challenge yet from Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and first-time candidate.
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And while there’s been scant polling ahead of Tuesday’s vote in Colorado’s deep blue 1st Congressional District, an influx of pro-DeGette and anti-Kiros spending from outside groups in the final days before the election points to a highly competitive contest.
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Kiros, a lawyer, PhD student and barista whose family immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia when she was a baby, launched her campaign last year, casting DeGette, 68, as a representative of a failing Democratic establishment beholden to corporate interests.
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DeGette is a longtime progressive who leads an influential subcommittee overseeing healthcare and has said she would push to pass Medicare for All if Democrats retake the House. But her acceptance of corporate PAC funds, including from the healthcare industry, has become a central line of attack from Kiros and her supporters.
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In a brief interview at the Capitol on Thursday, DeGette said she was “optimistic” about winning renomination Tuesday.
“I feel like my message is getting out to the voters: fighting against Donald Trump, fighting for Medicare For All, and against ICE, and that’s what they care about,” she said.
When asked whether she thought the success of two democratic socialist candidates in New York City House races had any bearing on her race, DeGette said: “Denver, Colorado, is not New York City.”
But Kiros argued that Denver and New York do share a history of welcoming immigrants, embracing progressive politics and supporting an expansive social safety net — and also are both grappling with rising costs of living.
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Most of the pro-Kiros spending in the race has come from Justice Democrats’ PAC, which has spent over $500,000, and from the pro-Palestine PAC American Priorities, both of which also backed Chevalier in New York.
Kiros, who was fired from her job at a top New York City law firm after publishing a letter in November 2023 criticizing top law firms’ response to Hamas’ attack on Israel, has made opposition to Israel central to her campaign, referring to Israel’s actions as “genocide” and calling for an arms embargo on Israel.
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The post A 29-Year-Old Democratic Socialist Takes on Colorado’s Most Senior Member of Congress appeared first on American Renaissance.
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