Candidate briefing
Melat Kiros is the 2026 Democratic nominee for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. Born in Addis Ababa and raised in the Denver area, she is a lawyer and University of Colorado Denver PhD student who defeated 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in the June 30 primary.
Kiros is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She campaigns for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and an economy that does not leave working people behind. With DeGette out, the seat is open: on November 3 Kiros faces Republican Christy Peterson, unaffiliated candidate Shimon Blau, Libertarian Chad Humphrey and Unity Party candidate Critter Milton in a district Democrats have held for decades.
Why Political Revolution supports her: unseating a 30-year incumbent on a democratic-socialist platform is how the movement grows — and Denver is now the proof.