Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, recently defeated Representative Diana DeGette, a 15-term incumbent, in Colorado's Democratic primary for the 1st Congressional District, which covers most of Denver and is the state's most heavily Jewish district. Kiros won with 51.3% of the vote (67,959 votes) to DeGette's 41.7% (55,179 votes). Kiros, who is set to become one of the first Gen Z members of Congress, is expected to win the general election in November due to the district's strong Democratic leaning.
Kiros campaigned on a platform that includes a complete arms embargo on Israel, ending military subsidies to the Jewish state, Medicare for All, tuition-free public college, and abolishing ICE. Her victory is seen by some as a significant win for democratic socialists and progressive elements within the Democratic Party. Jewish leaders and groups in Colorado have expressed alarm regarding Kiros, particularly after she called Hamas' October 7 attack "the inevitable consequence of apartheid, of decades of occupation" and declined to label a local firebombing incident as antisemitic. During an interview with streamer Hasan Piker, a hard-line Israel critic, Kiros also stated she would not support providing Israel with defensive weapons, saying, "No. A weapon is a weapon."
Kiros first gained public attention in late 2023 when she was fired by her law firm for penning a letter criticizing firms' condemnations of antisemitism post-October 7, arguing that such condemnations often conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Despite the controversy, Kiros stated in her victory speech that she stands by her values and committed to protecting the dignity of all life, including the Jewish community, and to combating antisemitism. Her campaign received significant support from left-wing groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which helped coordinate over 110,000 phone calls in the final week of the campaign. This victory is part of a broader trend of DSA-backed candidates winning primaries, leading to concerns among centrist Democrats and Jewish organizations.
DeGette, the incumbent, had a record of mostly supporting military aid to Israel, though she had recently begun opposing additional offensive weapons subsidies for 2025. She criticized Kiros for associating with Piker, whom she called an "infamous anti-semite." Brandon Rattiner of the Colorado Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and Rabbi Rachel Kobrin of Congregation Rodef Shalom voiced concerns about Kiros's stance. Kiros, however, during her victory speech, emphasized her commitment to working with the Jewish community, especially given the rise of antisemitism, to combat such hate, despite her earlier controversial statements.
