Democrats Brace for Another Possible Socialist Upset in Colorado

Democrats are bracing for the possibility of another electoral upset on Tuesday as Congresswoman Diana DeGette faces the very real possibility of losing her primary to a Democratic Socialist. Ms. DeGette challenger, Melat Kiros, is a 29-year-old lawyer and PhD student who has a real shot at winning.Ms. DeGette is the longest-serving member of Colorado’s congressional delegation, having represented Denver in the House since 1997. She is a senior member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as a longtime member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. That kind of experience and record may not be enough for Democrats at this moment, however.If Ms. DeGette does lose the primary on Tuesday, she would be the third incumbent Democrat to lose their primary in the last seven days, and the fifth this primary season, according to the Center for Politics. Three Republican and two Democratic incumbents were ousted largely due to redistricting in Texas while another Republican, Thomas Massie, lost his Kentucky primary race to a pro-Trump candidate, Ed Gallrein.Ms. Kiros is running an avowedly left-wing campaign, promising to push for Medicare for All, pass universal child and elder care, abolish ICE, and end all military aid to Israel, both offensive and defensive. She also supports sanctioning members of the Israeli government. Ms. Kiros’s campaign against Ms. DeGette is nearly identical to the three left-wing candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in last week’s congressional primaries at New York City. In her advertisements, she rails against billionaires, corporate spending in elections, and against the influence of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group.“Diana DeGette has been in office for decades, backed by the same billionaires and corporations who keep our prices high, burn our planet, and profit from genocide,” Ms. Kiros said in a recent ad. “It’s time for change.”Ms. DeGette is running on her record as a progressive legislator and antagonist of President Trump. She was an impeachment manager during the 2019 Senate trial of Mr. Trump on two charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. That strategy may not be enough, however, anti-Trump bonafides do not seem to be enough to get Democratic incumbents over the finish line nowadays. Congressman Dan Goldman was unseated just last week in the Democratic primary to represent lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn despite being one of the top Democratic committee staff lawyers during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment. He noted that distinction often during his primary campaign against the former city comptroller, Brad Lander, who ultimately defeated Mr. Goldman. According to recent polling, Ms. DeGette is very much at risk of losing her seat on Tuesday. One survey from Data for Progress shows Ms. Kiros leading by five points, taking 41 percent to Ms. DeGette’s 36 percent. The House minority leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, did not seem extremely confident that Ms. DeGette could pull out a win on Tuesday, especially after three victories by Democratic Socialists in his own backyard last week. “It’s a close race and we’ll see what happens,” Mr. Jeffries told reporters at a press conference on Monday. “Ultimately, it’ll be in the hands of the people of Denver, but the reality is that we have an unsettled electoral environment, which is going to be the case when Donald Trump is president.”

Democrats Brace for Another Possible Socialist Upset in Colorado

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