{"id":2620740,"date":"2026-06-29T07:25:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/socialists-bring-new-york-momentum-to-denver\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T07:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:27:57","slug":"socialists-bring-new-york-momentum-to-denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/socialists-bring-new-york-momentum-to-denver\/","title":{"rendered":"Socialists bring New York momentum to Denver"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsocialists-bring-new-york-momentum-to-denver%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2620740&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A House race in Denver\u2019s Democratic primary has gained attention as a test of the party&#8217;s leftward shift, with incumbent Rep.Diana DeGette facing a challenge from Melat Kiros, a younger candidate endorsed by Bernie Sanders and aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. Despite DeGette\u2019s longstanding tenure and support from labor groups, outside spending has increased to support her, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-and-political-allies-shrug-off-congressmans-democratic-primary-challenge\/\" title=\"Biden and allies dismiss congressman&#039;s primary challenge.\">indicating potential vulnerability<\/a>.Kiros, who emphasizes anti-establishment views and proposes limiting congressional service to 18 years, has gained some ground in polls, but DeGette maintains a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-leadership-fund-announces-28-million-ad-buy-for-jd-vance-in-ohio\/\" title=\"Senate Leadership Fund Announces  Million Ad Buy for JD Vance in Ohio\">significant fundraising advantage<\/a>. The primary includes controversial issues such as differing stances on Israel, with Kiros questioning Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish state, which has drawn criticism. The race reflects broader Democratic debates over ideological direction amid recent socialist wins in other primaries. The outcome is expected to favor the democrat given Denver\u2019s liberal electorate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A House race in the blue stronghold of Denver has quickly become the next test of Democrats\u2019 appetite for socialism as Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), a 15-term incumbent, fends off a challenger endorsed by Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voters in Colorado\u2019s 1st Congressional District will head to the polls Tuesday to decide between DeGette and two other candidates in the Democratic primary. Her chief competition is Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old former attorney who aligns herself with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4625810\/dsa-eyes-national-expansion-new-york-wins-democrats-brace-new-primary-fights\/\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elizabeth-warren-calls-on-sec-to-investigate-potential-market-manipulation-cautions-against-internet-trading-schemes-a-flash-mob-with-money\/\" title=\"Elizabeth Warren Calls On SEC To Investigate Potential ...Market Manipulation,\u2019 Cautions Against ...Internet Trading Schemes,\u2019 ...A Flash Mob With Money\u2019\">recent surge<\/a> of outside spending to prop up DeGette suggests the incumbent may be in trouble.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4628089\/races-to-watch-colorado-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Races to watch in Colorado\u2019s 2026 primary elections<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4626775\/socialists-success-anti-establishment-strategy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Socialists see success by abandoning anti-Trump messaging for anti-establishment strategy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4628045\/texas-democrat-defends-talarico-were-all-gay-tofu-eating-vegans\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Texas Democrat defends Talarico: \u2018We\u2019re all gay, tofu-eating vegans\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Kiros succeeds, it would represent another victory for the Left after two incumbents were knocked out in House primaries in New York. Both were backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and both ran campaigns pitting themselves against the political class in Washington.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sweep came as the Democratic Party debates its political identity after losing power with Donald Trump\u2019s election as president in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On paper, DeGette is a progressive in good standing with the Left. She supports Medicare for All and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She\u2019s also endorsed by major labor groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But her long tenure in Washington, where she\u2019s served since 1997, and willingness to accept corporate PAC dollars have opened a lane for Kiros, who immigrated to the Denver area from Ethiopia as a young child.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear whether Kiros can pull off another upset. Polling conducted on behalf of Justice Democrats, the group that helped propel Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to office, found Kiros ahead by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/zeteo.com\/p\/melat-kiros-diana-degette-colorado-congress-poll\">5 points<\/a>, but running within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of fundraising, DeGette has a sizable lead, and she is supported by several outside PACs that are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/19\/diana-degette-melat-kiros-pac-spending\/\">infusing more than $1 million<\/a> late in the race. The ads they\u2019ve run to dent Kiros cast her as a recent transplant to Denver and claim that Trump \u201cloves Democrats like Kiros.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A third candidate, Wanda James, is a cannabis entrepreneur and regent for the University of Colorado.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the few wedge issues in the primary is Israel, and though DeGette supports ending all U.S. military assistance except defensive weaponry, Kiros has questioned the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kiros was fired from a New York law firm for denying that the view was antisemitic in a 2023 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@melatakiros\/dear-us-law-firms-77ec63e838af\">open letter<\/a>, and her subsequent rhetoric has been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/d19nu91zz7veuv.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/20260527134639\/Melat-Open-Letter_2026.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/d19nu91zz7veuv.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/20260527134639\/Melat-Open-Letter_2026.pdf\">denounced by Jewish leaders<\/a> in Denver as fanning antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/26\/melat-kiros-diana-degette-race-colorado\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/26\/melat-kiros-diana-degette-race-colorado\/\">Kiros\u00a0sidestepped<\/a> whether bigotry drove the deadly fire-bombing of Jewish protesters in Boulder, Colorado, last year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ocasio-Cortez is one of the few progressives to stay out of the primary and has generally taken a more cautious approach to endorsements. But DeGette has highlighted <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ogLUDoUHnOg\">positive comments<\/a> Ocasio-Cortez has made related to her work on Medicare for All in a bid to woo more liberal voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeGette also notes she is in line to chair a key healthcare panel next year if Democrats retake the House majority, framing her seniority as a more effective counterweight to Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNow is not the time to gamble and send somebody with no experience to Washington,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradonewsline.com\/2026\/06\/20\/degette-spars-with-challengers-kiros-james\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/coloradonewsline.com\/2026\/06\/20\/degette-spars-with-challengers-kiros-james\/\">DeGette said at a June debate<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kiros, by contrast, has taken an anti-establishment line by advocating an 18-year limit on how long lawmakers can serve in Congress. She recently worked as a barista while studying for a graduate program in public policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4607030\/how-dsa-reshaping-democratic-party-inside\/\"><strong>HOW DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA ARE RESHAPING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM THE INSIDE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In total, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624938\/over-30-socialists-won-primaries-2026-elections\/\">DSA-backed candidates<\/a> have won more than 30 races this cycle, according to a tracker published by the organization. Before the New York primaries, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >socialist candidate won<\/a> the Washington, D.C., mayoral contest earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given Denver\u2019s liberal voting electorate, the winner of Tuesday\u2019s primary is expected to defeat the Republican in this fall\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Denver House race tests Democrats&#8217; socialist shift<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2620742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26176647192110-e1782499596495.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13018,32120,40146,12428,81881],"class_list":["post-2620740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-denver","tag-new-york","tag-political-activism","tag-socialism","tag-urban-movement"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26176647192110-e1782499596495.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2620740"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2620744,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620740\/revisions\/2620744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2620742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2620740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2620740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2620740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}