Democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousts Diana DeGette in Colorado primary

Melat Kiros defeated 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, ending DeGette’s 30-year hold on the Denver-based seat. The Associated Press called the Democratic primary at 10:03 p.m. on June 30, 2026, with Kiros leading by just under 6 percentage points and 78% of the vote counted.

The upset landed in one of the party’s safest districts. Colorado’s 1st Congressional District is centered on Denver and covers much of the metro area, and one source described it as D+56 while saying Democrats won 78% of the vote there. DeGette had represented the district since January 3, 1997, and her defeat closed a run that stretched across 15 terms in the U.S. House. DeGette, now 68, came into national politics as a fourth-generation Coloradoan and became one of the chamber’s more visible voices in the health care debate.

Kiros is 29 and has been described as a democratic socialist, a lawyer and a doctoral student, with some reporting identifying her as a former corporate attorney. The result put her on track to become the first Democratic Socialist Colorado has ever sent to Congress and possibly the first Gen Z woman from the state to serve in the House.

The win gives fresh evidence that Democratic energy at the grassroots is not confined to isolated local shocks. Democratic socialists have now notched another primary victory in Colorado, and the result will sharpen the argument over whether safe blue seats are becoming more vulnerable to challenges from the left and whether party veterans can still count on first-pass loyalty from primary voters. CBS News’ Anthony Salvanto framed the race as part of a broader pattern that could shape Democratic candidate recruitment and the party’s 2028 bench, as insurgent challengers test the power of established names in deeply Democratic districts.