DSA Scores Third Major Primary Upset, Sharpening Democrats' Internal Battle
Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have now unseated or displaced establishment Democrats in three congressional primaries within roughly two weeks, with 29-year-old first-time candidate Melat Kiros defeating 28-year incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's Denver-anchored 1st Congressional District. The string of victories is accelerating a factional struggle over the Democratic Party's policy direction ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have now unseated or displaced establishment Democrats in three congressional primaries within roughly two weeks, with 29-year-old first-time candidate Melat Kiros defeating 28-year incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's Denver-anchored 1st Congressional District. The string of victories is accelerating a factional struggle over the Democratic Party's policy direction ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Three Upsets in Two Weeks
Kiros, a former attorney who lost her position at a New York law firm after writing an essay critical of Israel, won a district that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by nearly 56 points in the 2024 election. The DSA declared on social media that "Congresswoman Kiros will take the fight for a better world to D.C.," citing her support for abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and universal childcare. Kiros also drew backing from Justice Democrats, the group credited with propelling Squad members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib into Congress.
The win follows two New York City primary upsets the previous week: Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, ousted Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while state Assembly Member Claire Valdez won the primary to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez. Both Chevalier and Valdez received backing from socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Colorado Ballot Results Extend Beyond the 1st District
The left also notched a significant primary win in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, a competitive swing seat along the I-25 corridor north of Denver with a roughly 40% Latino population. State Rep. Manny Rutinel defeated former state Rep. Shannon Bird, a more moderate candidate, by double digits. Rutinel now faces Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat in 2024, in a race the National Republican Congressional Committee views as a general-election vulnerability for Democrats.
NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said the results showed "the socialist takeover" of the Democratic Party spreading into battleground districts. Democrats contested that framing. Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, said progressives have "built a coalition and have a message" that can lift candidates when they offer an acceptable alternative to the status quo.
Establishment Holds in Senate and Gubernatorial Contests
Not all establishment Democrats lost ground Tuesday. Sen. John Hickenlooper, 74, a former Denver mayor and two-term governor, turned back a challenge from former state Sen. Julie Gonzales, 43, a one-time DSA member, in the Senate Democratic primary. Hickenlooper is favored in the general election against Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley. State Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic gubernatorial primary after closing the gap by emphasizing his record of filing or joining dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Gonzales, despite losing, issued a warning to party leaders: "keep taking folks like us for granted at your own peril." University of Colorado regent Wanda James, who entered the 1st District primary in April amid concerns she would split the non-DSA vote, finished third, in single digits.