DENVER — Political experts across the country are weighing in on what democratic socialist Melat Kiros’s win in Colorado’s Democratic primary Tuesday night means for the future of the party.
Kiros, a former attorney, beat Rep. Diana DeGette with a more than 12,000-vote lead, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent.
That upset has prompted questions about what drove voters to embrace a political newcomer.
“Experience only matters if you do something with it, and I can't expect anybody who was at the helm of this ship that got us into this mess to be the one to take us out,” Kiros said in response to that criticism.
Meanwhile, DeGette used her concession speech to reflect on a nearly three-decade congressional career.
“Frankly, this was not the way I would have wanted to end my career in politics, but I'm proud of my accomplishments from protecting the environment and cleaning up toxic waste to jumpstarting research that will cure previously deadly diseases to fighting for reproductive rights,” DeGette said.
But Metropolitan State University of Denver Political Science Chair Dr. Robert Preuhs said Kiros’s lack of experience may have worked in her favor.
“I think she was underestimated, certainly early on by the DeGette campaign, who really didn't earnestly campaign for this primary until maybe about a month ago,” Preuhs said. “Also, maybe overlooking the momentum that's really been generated during this second Trump term among the left within the Democratic Party, and that starts with things like protesting regarding the war in Gaza.”
Preuhs said Kiros’s win rides the wave of recent democratic socialist wins and was likely helped by an endorsement from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“We saw it kind of start with the Mamdani endorsements out in New York. You know, I think in a lot of ways it combined with some dissatisfaction with the connection to the district forum for Diana DeGette, as well as this kind of age difference that we see in terms of the commentary over the last several years,” Preuhs said.
WATCH ► What Melat Kiros's win could mean for the Democratic Party |
Preuhs said Kiros’s win has national implications.
“She's certainly going to add to the ranks of democratic socialist affiliated voters, members of Congress within the Democratic caucus,” Preuhs said. “But also, to make affirmative cases for more progressive and a bit more left-leaning policy choices.”
But one stance that has some Democrats concerned about Kiros’s win is her position on Israel.
Denver7 news partner The Denver Post reported that Kiros faced controversy before entering politics when she was fired from a law firm after writing an open letter arguing that questioning Israel's legitimacy as a state is not inherently antisemitic.
She also declined to say whether the Boulder firebomb attack targeting a group advocating for Jewish hostages was antisemitic.
Despite this, Kiros denies that she holds any antisemitic views.
“My commitment has always been to protecting the sanctity and dignity of all life, that includes every single person of all faith, all different religions, and that especially includes the Jewish community, especially now as anti-Semitism is rising all across the state and all across this country, and I look forward to working with the community to figure out how we can combat that hate,” Kiros said Tuesday night.
From Medicare for all to calls to abolish ICE, Preuhs said Kiros’s message resonated with voters and the Democratic establishment should take progressive challenges seriously.
