Colorado Democrat Kiros wins primary against long-serving incumbent politician

US Democratic Primary: Melat Kiros Wins Over Diana DeGette

A Denver-area district in Colorado has seen a significant upset in the Democratic primary, with 29-year-old former lawyer Melat Kiros defeating 15-term Representative Diana DeGette. According to US media projections, Kiros secured nearly 7,000 votes, surpassing DeGette’s total by a substantial margin.

Kiros, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia as a child, has been involved in controversy surrounding her criticism of Democrats’ support for Israel and her alliance with socialist commentator Hasan Piker. She was previously fired from her job after refusing to remove a post criticizing law firms for their stance on Israel and Palestine.

The primary election took place on Tuesday, with multiple media outlets calling the race after 78% of votes were counted. Kiros is now favored to win the November general election in the district, which has historically trended Democratic.

This victory marks the latest in a series of upsets involving democratic socialists ousting incumbent Democrats. In New York City, three candidates with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America won their primaries, while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated US Senator Michael Bennet for the governor’s nomination.

Weiser, who argued that he stood up to the Trump administration in court, is expected to be elected governor in November. State Representative Manny Rutinel also won the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Representative Gabe Evans in a battleground district.

Source: Al Jazeera