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

Middle East Eye · July 2, 2026 Politics

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

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