Democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent.
Kiros, a former corporate attorney, is the latest democratic socialist or progressive candidate to boot a Democratic incumbent this month. With the district covering the dark blue city of Denver, Kiros is expected to win in November and reach Congress in January.
Voters in Colorado's Democratic primaries wrestled with a question the party has increasingly faced nationally: Support a younger, more progressive generation of leaders or stick with established veterans?
The results were mixed. While Kiros defeated DeGette, Sen. John Hickenlooper successfully fended off a primary challenge from self-fashioned “insurgent progressive” state Sen. Julie Gonzales.
And while a smaller divide separated the two Democrats competing for the U.S. House in the state's lone swing district, the candidate considered more progressive, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, won.
Race for Colorado Governor
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett in the Democratic primary for governor.
Weiser, who formerly served in the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, is considered to be more sympathetic to his leftward flank.
On the campaign trail, candidates struggled to show major differences in their political agendas, and instead often attacked each other over who could better stand up to Trump.
Weiser hammered his point home in a victory speech to ecstatic, sign-waving supporters who crowded around the candidate.
“In the face of a lawless bullying Trump administration trying to intimidate us, rip away our rights and freedoms," Weiser said, “you made it clear that we need a leader who will fight back and never bend the knee.”
After his loss, Bennet spoke to supporters. “Sometimes the harder path is the right path, even when it doesn’t lead where you’d hoped," he said.
The three main candidates seeking the Republican nomination included state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a further-right state lawmaker. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was considered the more conventional Republican, while Victor Marx was something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past. The race had not been called Tuesday night.
