Progressive wins reshape Colorado Democratic primaries
Melat Kiros ousted longtime Rep. Dianna DeGette as Colorado Democrats picked several left-leaning nominees ahead of November’s midterms.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Colorado Democrats handed several wins to progressive candidates in Tuesday’s primaries, including a major upset by Melat Kiros over longtime US Representative Dianna DeGette. The results matter beyond the state because Democrats are testing which candidates and messages can help them regain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, Al Jazeera reported with AP and Reuters.
Kiros, a 29-year-old labour rights activist and lawyer, defeated DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the Denver area. DeGette, a member of the House Progressive Caucus, had served in Congress for nearly three decades, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
Al Jazeera reported that Kiros won despite being outspent by more than 2-to-1. She received more than twice as many votes as DeGette and is expected to be strongly favoured against Republicans in November, according to the report.
Kiros victory marks left-wing gain
Kiros moved to the United States from Ethiopia as a baby, Al Jazeera reported. Her campaign put her to DeGette’s left on Israel and Palestine: Kiros backed a full US arms embargo on Israel, including defensive weapons, while DeGette supported sending defensive weapons, according to the report.
Al Jazeera also reported that Kiros was fired after refusing to remove a social media post criticizing law firms over their positions on Israel and Palestine. She has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
Speaking to supporters after the win, Kiros said she was part of “a movement” and told the crowd, “We are just getting started,” according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. She said she intended to fight “Donald Trump and the oligarchy,” abolish US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pass “Medicare for all” and end the “genocide in Palestine.”
DeGette had argued that experience in Congress was needed to oppose Trump, while Kiros criticized her effectiveness, Al Jazeera reported.
Another House race puts progressives in play
In Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, State Representative Manny Rutinel defeated former state Representative Shannon Bird for the Democratic nomination, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Rutinel was described as the more progressive candidate in the race.
The 8th District runs from Denver’s northern suburbs into agricultural areas and has changed party hands in recent elections, Al Jazeera reported. Rutinel will face Republican US Representative Gabe Evans on November 3 in a contest expected to be competitive.
The seat could help decide control of the 435-member House, which Republicans hold by a narrow margin, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Party leaders had viewed Bird, a more moderate Democrat, as the stronger general-election candidate, but voters chose Rutinel.
Weiser wins Democratic governor primary
State Attorney General Phil Weiser won the Democratic nomination for governor and is considered the favourite for November, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. He defeated US Senator Michael Bennet, who has served in the Senate for more than 17 years and previously led Denver’s public schools.
Weiser, who served in the Obama and Clinton administrations, was described by Al Jazeera as more aligned with the party’s left wing than Bennet. The report said Weiser outspent Bennet by $1m.
Democratic Governor Jared Polis is term-limited after two terms. Al Jazeera reported that the governor’s race was widely viewed through the question of who could best defend Colorado against Trump, who the report said has frozen federal funds to the state and vetoed a major drinking water project.
US Senator John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, also defeated a primary challenge from state Senator Julie Gonzales, who described herself as an “insurgent progressive,” according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. After winning, Hickenlooper said in a YouTube video that Coloradans would not accept “Trump’s broken promises and cost of living emergency, or his constant corruption.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.