Democratic socialist who refused to call Boulder firebombing antisemitic wins Colorado primary

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat US Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for progressive challengers across the country.

She is set to join a growing class of democratic socialists and staunch Israel critics headed to Congress.

The race between Kiros and DeGette, in a district that covers nearly all of Denver, came one week after a slate of progressives won their Democratic primaries in New York City, energizing left-wing advocates who are looking for additional victories around the country.

A number of Jewish leaders and groups in Colorado voiced concerns about Kiros, who drew criticism after calling Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack “inevitable” and declining to refer to the Boulder firebombing as antisemitic.

Kiros made her sharp criticism of Israel and its relationship with the United States a central part of her campaign. Her platform includes a complete arms embargo on Israel and ending military subsidies to the Jewish state.

“We will not wait to put an end to the politics of the past, to get big money out of our politics, and to reject corporate PACs and AIPAC,” Kiros said to loud cheers during her victory speech.

The democratic socialist also said she would “not wait” to take the fight to Donald Trump and abolish ICE. “And no, we will not wait to end the genocide in Palestine,” Kiros said.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, wrote in a statement that Kiros’s ascension to Congress “in large part due to her stand for Palestinian rights is proof positive of how much the country has has transformed over the last two years.”