Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary

Pro-Palestine immigrant ousts 30-year veteran in Colorado Democratic primary Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 16:26 The upset for establishment Democrats follows a similar wave across blue states emboldened by Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros addresses supporters at an election-night watch party after winning the Colorado primary on 30 June 2026 in Denver, Colorado (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images via AFP) Off Democratic Socialists in the US netted a landmark win on Tuesday after a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and political newcomer unseated a member of Congress who has held that job since before she was born. Melat Kiros, a lawyer and PhD student, mounted a stunning upset for establishment Democrats after she was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes the state capital, Denver. Kiros' opponent, Diana DeGette, had not yet acknowledged the results of the race on either of her two X accounts by Wednesday morning, but had received the backing of Colorado's elected Democratic Party leaders in a state that has long been a deep Democratic blue.