After two Mamdani-backed, card-carrying members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) political party won their respective House primaries last Tuesday in New York, all eyes turned to Colorado's 1st Congressional District Democrat primary, which featured longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette facing off against DSA member Melat Kiros.
The primary was Tuesday night, and, with 78 percent reporting as of this writing, Decision Desk HQ has called it for Kiros in what may be the biggest primary upset for an incumbent Democrat House member this midterm election cycle.
Decision Desk HQ projects Melat Kiros wins the CO US House 1 Democratic Primary#DecisionMade: 10:31 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/ExYwfWhKv3
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) July 1, 2026
DeGette, 68, is Colorado's longest-serving member of Congress, having been in office since 1997 in a district drawn for Democrat victories. Though she faced two opponents in the primary, the one who worried establishment Democrats the most was Kiros, a 29-year-old lawyer and former barista who, like many other DSA candidates, was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Ahead of Colorado's results, read DDHQ's preview of the key races. (link below)
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) June 30, 2026
Perhaps the top race is #CO01, where democratic socialist Melat Kiros is primarying longtime Rep. Diana DeGette (D) from the left. This is just the latest left-vs.-establishment clash for Dems. pic.twitter.com/RfhLFZ5nHp
As RedState previously reported, Kiros is, of course, bad news: an America-hater who believes America asked for 9/11:
The socialists' foreign policy advisor is apparently Osama bin Laden. This is word-for-word how the Taliban justified 9/11. The DSA wants to destroy society altogether. pic.twitter.com/IZHj0h6Veb
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) June 29, 2026
She has also blamed Israel for the 10/7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, and has refused to call out violent, deadly antisemitism in her own backyard:
Melat Kiros has said the massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct 7 was "the inevitable consequence of apartheid."
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 23, 2026
I asked Kiros if she thought the same thing about 9/11 and US foreign policy.
And she declined to call the firebombing of Jews in Boulder an act of anti-semitism. pic.twitter.com/WYTETFLNeX
Denver socialist Melat Kiros has refused to call a firebomb attack on Jews an act of anti-Semitism. https://t.co/eC9ygNzkQ6 She insists that she cannot say what "was in the heart" of Mohamed Sabry Soliman when he burned to death an elderly Jewish woman at a pro-Israel rally...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 29, 2026
Language warning for the clip below:
Melat Kiros said her campaign made a mistake posting an ad from a progressive PAC that said centrist Democrats "fellate Israel" and "suck shit."
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 23, 2026
"We didn't catch the language that was on the screen. Had we caught it, we wouldn't have reposted it, and we've since taken it down." pic.twitter.com/C1UrrpKjXb
SEE ALSO: Colorado Dems' 2028 Redistricting Dreams Hit a Brick Wall After State Supreme Court Ruling
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She's also okay with tens of thousands of job losses in Colorado provided they be in the defense sector:
Democrats cheering for elective job losses in their state will never cease to be absolutely wild to me. https://t.co/q8yb2gB8Gm
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 23, 2026
The DSA Watch X account had more:
Kiros immigrated from Ethiopia as a baby, then got fired from her corporate law gig after publicly defending pro-Hamas protests and questioning Israel’s right to exist right after Oct 7. Now she’s running on ending all U.S. aid to Israel, an “arms embargo,”, accusing establishment Dems of profiting from “genocide.”, Medicare for All and Dismantling ICE.
This is a heavily blue district, so even though Kiros has a GOP opponent - newcomer Christy Peterson - in the fall election, she will be the odds-on favorite to win it. DSA cultists were seen last Tuesday in New York City taunting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), suggesting he will be "next" on their list of Democrat leaders to defeat. That would have to come in 2028, assuming he runs for reelection.
To see more Colorado primary results, please click here.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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