DENVER — In a concession speech following her Democratic primary upset, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette congratulated the winner, Melat Kiros, and thanked supporters, staff, and constituents.
DeGette reflected on her decades in office, highlighting accomplishments including environmental protections, medical research funding and reproductive rights advocacy.
“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.
WATCH ► Diana DeGette concession speech:
In her concession speech, she also pointed to her work holding government officials and corporations accountable, including her role in Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings.
“As well as legislating, I've fought my entire career against injustice and overreach. I've led oversight investigations against government officials who serve their interests instead of the public interest and corporations who have fleeced Americans. I presided over Donald Trump's first impeachment trial in the House, and I was an impeachment manager for the second trial. I have held Robert Kennedy accountable for his dangerous anti-science positions,” DeGette said.
Democratic socialist and former attorney Kiros beat DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, with a more than 12,000-vote lead.
It was a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for the Democratic Socialists of America.
In a March Democratic assembly, a process to decide which candidates get on the primary ballot, DeGette barely qualified as Kiros, a first-time candidate, blew past her with more than double the votes.
The assembly process was a jolt for the Democratic establishment and DeGette, who's been a progressive lawmaker herself.
DeGette said her top priority for the remainder of her term is to oppose what she described as Trump’s unlawful actions and to defend democratic institutions.
“I intend to fight against Donald Trump's illegal actions until the last minute of my service. In future days, I will have more to say about the state of our democracy and politics. The challenges Trump and his cronies pose are only the start. Just yesterday, the Supreme Court made the threat even more immediate in their campaign finance ruling,” she said.
Kiros’ win marked a broader wave of progressive candidates beating establishment-backed Democrats across the country. She will face Republican Christy Peterson in November.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
