There’s been a lot of attention paid to far-left enclaves on either of the nation’s coasts as socialist candidates have emerged victorious in a number of Democrat primary races.
As the party’s non-socialist wing scrambles to adjust to a sudden leftward lurch, new evidence is emerging that the movement isn’t being contained to places like New York and Seattle.
In the reliably blue city of Denver, for example, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) is projected to be unseated by socialist rival Melat Kiros.
As The Hill reported:
Kiros, who studies at the University of Denver, defeated DeGette, who’s served in Congress since 1997 — delivering a major blow to the Democratic establishment despite the fact that DeGette herself was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. University of Colorado Regent Wanda James also ran in the Democratic primary.
The Democratic contest for the Denver-based seat comes on the heels of New York’s congressional races last week, where two democratic socialists who were backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, won their House primaries in the city.
Kiros’s win suggests that Democratic voters are so frustrated with the status quo and their party that they’re even willing to oust some of their most progressive members in Congress.
DeGette argued that she had the experience needed to do the job and that the party shouldn’t take a gamble on a newcomer. She also pointed out that she’s the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, meaning she’d chair a key cohort if the party takes back the gavel.
Meanwhile, Kiros said she understood the struggles of Denverites, pointing out she’s 29 years old, renting and a barista. She also differentiated herself from DeGette by saying her campaign rejected corporate PAC money. Both candidates though have super PACs spending on their behalf.
Israel, too, has become a focal point in many of these primaries, including in Denver.
Kiros was fired from her law firm after she wrote a letter directed at U.S. law firms on her Substack in November 2023 in which she disputed the notion that calling for the state of Israel to be eliminated or criticizing Israel’s government were antisemitic.
The news drew widespread social media reaction:
Republicans couldn’t have wished for better campaign conditions.
The radical left has hijacked the party.
Nobody wants communism. We want air conditioning, heated seats, stocked grocery stores and freedom.
— Charlie 🇺🇸 (@charliehummer4) July 1, 2026
Socialist candidate Melat Kiros, who was born in Ethiopia, is about to beat 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in the Democrat primary for Colorado's 1st Congressional District.
Here she is saying that 9/11 was America's fault. pic.twitter.com/2uHNYfeASX
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 1, 2026
The Nazi party is alive and well in America. Democrat socialist of America have all the same policies as the national socialist workers party of Nazi Germany. What’s next you gonna start killing Jews in America? DSA is parting like it’s 1939. CNN shows how much they HATE America pic.twitter.com/wLScURqpvM
— Jay 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@Jay10633039079) July 1, 2026
The New York Post added these details:
DeGette boasted endorsements from Colorado’s Democratic congressional delegation, the House Progressive Caucus, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and several prominent labor unions.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters Monday that DeGette was “forcefully making her case” for re-election while cautioning, “We’ll see what happens.”
Jeffries went on to blame President Trump for the “unsettled electoral environment” wreaking havoc on incumbent Democrats, according to CBS News.
With Trump being in office, “It’s not a surprise that there are highly competitive primaries in deep blue parts of the country that are also unfolding this cycle,” the Brooklyn Democrat said.
ADVERTISEMENTKiros, an Ethiopia-born Ph.D. student and former attorney backed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), slammed Democratic leadership throughout her campaign.
“The reality is Democrats have the worst approval rating we’ve had in decades, because we’ve failed to actually do anything for working people,” Kiros said at the candidate forum. “In order for the Democratic Party to actually fulfill its progressive agenda, we need to have members that are unbought and unafraid to stand up to the billionaires and corporations.”
Kiros listed her top five issues as “Medicare for all. Housing first. Universal child care. Abolishing ICE. And more than anything … publicly financed elections,” in a recent interview with controversial lefty podcaster Hasan Piker.
In that same interview, Kiros described Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as an “inevitable consequence” of Israel’s actions.
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Here’s some additional coverage:
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: Socialist Melat Kiros has UNSEATED *15 TERM INCUMBENT* US Rep. Diana DeGette (D) in Colorado
COMMUNISM IS RISING IN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
Time for a war on communism!
Socialism is merely the "kind" word they use for the transitional phase. pic.twitter.com/g1ktqnHlUT
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 1, 2026
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