Updated at 11:10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, 29, has defeated Rep. Diana DeGette, delivering a stunning blow to the Democratic establishment in Denver and continuing a run of leftist victories in major cities.
The Associated Press called the race just after 10 p.m. and Kiros emerged to raucous applause for her victory speech.
“Denver voters of all ages, of all races, of all religions sent a clear message: We will not wait!” she exclaimed.
With the crowd roaring louder and louder, she promised battles against President Donald Trump and the oligarcy, to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and pass universal healthcare, and to reject corporate PACs and the pro-Israel lobby.
“And no, we will not wait to end the genocide in Palestine,” she continued to chants of “Free Palestine!”
She continued: “We believe that fundamental change can, and will, happen if we fight for it — if we organize, if we show no fear in standing up for what’s right. That is the message that Denver has sent to both parties, to Donald Trump and to the entire country.”
Kiros led by nearly 5,000 votes as ballots were counted Tuesday night, holding 48.6% of the vote, while DeGette trailed with 44.2%. CU Regent Wanda James had 7.3%.
A total of 109,903 votes had been counted. In 2024, the race attracted only about 79,000 votes, though DeGette was unopposed that year.
While many votes are left to be counted, DeGette faces a tough road. Younger voters — who are more likely to favor Kiros — often vote later in the process, meaning many of their ballots haven’t yet been counted.
The two candidates’ parties showed a stark contrast. DeGette’s drew only a handful of supporters to Carboy Winery, where they were at least initially outnumbered by journalists. Kiros’ party attracted hundreds of guests, many decked out in gear for Kiros or the Democratic Socialists of America.
The crowd began chanting “Melat” and confetti drifted through the air as the early results were displayed on TVs.
Matt Greer, 43, said he had never seen anything like it.
“This is all kids. I feel incredibly old here. And this is rad (expletive). This is really awesome. It's amazing seeing Gen Z, this engaged and this enthusiastic and this organized, which, as millennials, we never did,” Greer said. “And I'm very, very happy to see all of this. I am just trying to ride the wave of all this.”
At Carboy, some of DeGette’s supporters stared at their phones, apparently hoping for something to change. "Wait ‘til 8:30," one person said. "Hopeful," said another, with a hint of skepticism. Attendees started leaving shortly after arriving, heading to other parties.
Ultimately, the campaign announced that DeGette would not attend the party and that the campaign would have no immediate comment, saying the race was too close.
The winner of the primary election will represent the Democratic Party in the November election. The Republican candidate is Christy Peterson, 41. She was the only Republican nominee for the race.
The Democratic candidate will have an extreme advantage in blue Denver.
James conceded at 9 p.m.
Denver in the spotlight
The race has attracted national attention and more than $3 million in campaign and independent spending. After democratic socialist candidates swept into power in New York, expectations grew that Kiros might unseat DeGette, one of the longest-tenured politicians in Colorado.
“We only have a few data points so far, but there were a few progressive victories in some Democratic primaries in California. The ones that happened this week in New York and the whole national Democratic Party is freaking out about it. And if I were someone like, say, Diana DeGette, I probably wouldn't be sleeping well after that. That doesn't mean she's definitely going to lose,” said Seth Masket, a professor of political science at the University of Denver.
DeGette, he added, was “spending like she's in trouble.”
Kiros is a democratic socialist and hopes to join a wave of progressive and leftist victories. Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed her campaign, which has grown from viral Instagram videos to an army of volunteers knocking on 100,000 doors, according to Kiros.
Her campaign and outside supporters have reported spending more than $1 million on advertisements and other expenses, holding events and plastering stickers and posters across the city.
“The thing is, fighting Trump is just one piece of the problem. Trump is not the cause. He's a symptom of a system that is broken and has been broken for a really long time because our party has failed to understand the role that they need to take in getting money out of our politics,” Kiros said during a debate earlier this month.
Kiros is the most formidable challenger DeGette has faced since taking office in 1997.
A former lawyer and a Ph.D. candidate, Kiros has touted herself as a politician for the working class. Her family immigrated to Denver from Ethiopia when she was a baby.
Kiros had never before run for elected office, but she won support from a range of voters with a change message.
“I feel like the old guard needs to go away and we need younger people in charge. I've decided I will never vote for anybody that's over 60 years of age. I think the younger people care more about the planet,” said voter Cindy Robertson.
Jen Dillon grew up in Denver and considers her parents to be centrist Democrats. She was shocked to learn that, this time around, they voted for Kiros.
“And I almost passed out because that conversation just would not have happened even a year ago. And it just became obvious to me like, ‘Whoa, there's been a big, big shift,’” she said.
Dillon’s parents had flipped largely because they were disgusted by U.S. support for Israel and its deadly war in Gaza, which Kiros has described as a genocide. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 70,000 people, a response to the Hamas attack that killed close to 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel and its war in Gaza have polarized Democrats in recent years. In Denver, several venues refused to host an event with Kiros and Hasan Piker, the controversial left-wing political streamer who has faced backlash from several Jewish groups.
Kiros alleged DeGette had orchestrated the cancellations, which DeGette denied.
Kiros also has drawn broad-based criticism for declining to say that a deadly firebombing attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder was antisemitic. The attacker targeted a group of predominantly Jewish demonstrators who were raising awareness for hostages kidnapped by Hamas, killing 82-year-old Karen Diamond.
“I don’t know what was in the heart of the perpetrator. All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might have believed,” Kiros had told Kyle Clark of 9News.
DeGette’s argument for incumbency
Kiros’ rising profile has attracted outside support, with the Justice Democrats spending roughly $500,000 on her, and it has mobilized scores of volunteers around the city.
Zoe Wurst, 23, has been canvassing for Kiros and attended a rally for the candidate at the State Capitol on June 14. Wurst said the campaign has shown her how disenfranchised and tired of politics people feel.
“I'm just happy to be out here for Melat Kiros. She is truly inspiring. She is someone different. She's someone you need, even if you're not a democratic socialist, even if you're not a leftist, even if you're not a super progressive person,” Wurst said. “I think she will still fight for you and fight for the things you care about.”
Kiros has called out DeGette for taking corporate PAC money — while DeGette has called Kiros inexperienced.
DeGette’s main message was that her deep experience will help in the Democrats’ fight against President Donald Trump and give her influence if the party retakes Congress.
If re-elected, DeGette will have the gavel on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. She said she’ll be focused on “reeling in” Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“There's really only one fundamental question about this election: Who is going to be the best choice to stand up to Donald Trump and the real threat he poses to our democracy? The answer is clear. I fought Donald Trump as an impeachment manager in his first term. I fought against his illegal war in Iran,” DeGette said during a debate at the Denver Press Club on June 19. “I fought to give everybody in this country the same abortion coverage we have here in Colorado. I've fought for single payer healthcare. Now is not the time to gamble and send somebody with no experience.”
Many DeGette voters agreed, saying that they wanted a steady hand at the tiller in a chaotic time.
“I really like the idea of Melat Kiros. She's young, she's vibrant, she's very exciting, she has no experience and I think that at this juncture, having a fighter already in Congress, who knows what the heck she's doing, is absolutely vital,” said Kellie Rockey of Denver.
“I like what (DeGette has) done. She's been there. She has seniority. The person running against her scares me,” said voter Ken Miller.
DeGette has felt the pressure
Other Democratic incumbents, like Sen. John Hickenlooper, have largely ignored their challengers, instead focusing their campaigns on their opposition to President Donald Trump.
But as the race has apparently tightened, DeGette and her supporters have taken Kiros on directly with attack ads.
An official DeGette mailer depicts Kiros in a spacesuit and declares her views are “out there.” Another campaign mailer claims that Kiros’ record is “paper thin” and that she’s only voted in Denver once in her life. (Until recently, she voted in neighboring Arapahoe County.)
The race also has a third candidate, of course, who could further complicate the race: Wanda James. James is a veteran and a CU Regent. She was the first Black woman in the country to own a dispensary and has focused part of her campaign on opening doors for disenfranchised communities.
During the debate featuring the three, James called herself the adult in the room after a heated back-and-forth between DeGette and Kiros.
“There is no battle with me. I'm not trying to fight against different people. I'm just talking about what's important,” James said.
Carol Balkcom, 79, has lived in Denver for 16 years and is voting for James after previously supporting DeGette.
“She's got a really strong background in my view. Not just because she's a business owner, but because I don't know, she's a Democrat and she's mature,” Balkcom said. “I actually saw a video of her and I was impressed with the way she spoke. I felt like she would be a force to be reckoned with.”
The race was up in the air in the final weeks, with little public polling to show the state of the race.
A recent Politico article reported that internal polling showed Kiros and DeGette were statistically tied, and prediction markets strongly favored Kiros, with speculators on Kalshi collectively giving the challenger 86% odds of victory.
No matter the outcome on Tuesday, the election could reshape Colorado’s congressional politics — showing that leftist organizing can turn safe seats into Democratic battlegrounds.
CPR News reporter Caitlyn Kim contributed to this article.
- Voter guide for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary
- Can Melat Kiros win? Campaign spending and prediction markets show a real challenge to DeGette
- Wanda James brings military experience to Congressional District 1 campaign as war in Iran rages
- Melat Kiros says she’ll bring change, lower costs in bid for Congressional District 1 seat
- Rep. Diana DeGette is focused on healthcare in bid for 30th year in Congress
