Melat Kiros topples 15-term incumbent DeGette in Colorado Democratic primary

Melat Kiros has unseated 15-term incumbent US representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary elections on Tuesday night, June 30, 2026.

DeGette has been the long-serving US House representative for 15 time.

The triumph comes following an anti-incumbent wave in New York primaries when New Yorkers unseated two Democratic congressional incumbents last month.

According to the Associated Press , Kiros had defeated DeGette for the Democratic nomination in Denver’s deep blue stronghold of the first district that covers Denver.

Kiros’s victory in the Ist District paves the way for her election in November midterms.

Who is Melat Kiros?

Kiros, 29, was born in Ethiopia in 1997—the year her rival DeGette took an oath as a House representative in Congress.

She graduated in law at the University of Notre Dame in 2022.

Kiros, a Democratic socialist made her way into politics after she refused to remove a blog post that cast her job in a New York law firm where she was employed.

For context, Kiros penned a blog post in 2023, rejecting allegations of being antisemitic after law students staged protests after Israel waged war after the October 7 attacks.

She received endorsements from left-wing senator Bernie Sanders, who vouched for Kiros.

Kiros, who's a first-time candidate, her win signals a generational shift after she unseated the 68-year-old DeGette, who’s on the Congressional Progressive Caucus and supported key policies like Medicare and ICE abolishment.

Since President Trump returned to the White House a second time, Democratic voters are aligning themselves with younger candidates who are willing to challenge the party's aging establishment.