Arabic version: ميلات كيروس تطيح بالنائبة المخضرمة في الانتخابات التمهيدية في كولورادو

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros has defeated 15-term United States Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary in a Denver-area district in Colorado. The race was called by multiple media outlets after 78 percent of the votes were counted, showing Kiros with a nearly 7,000-vote lead over DeGette, according to Al Jazeera.

Kiros, who moved to the US from Ethiopia as a baby, has faced controversy for her strong criticism of Democrats who support Israel and her alliance with socialist political commentator Hasan Piker. Despite these challenges, she is now favored to win the upcoming November election in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.

The 29-year-old former lawyer gained attention after being fired from her job for refusing to remove a post that criticized law firms regarding their positions on Israel and Palestine, labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Kiros is the latest democratic socialist to oust an incumbent Democrat this summer.

In related news, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has projected victory over US Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination for governor. Weiser’s campaign focused on defending Colorado against actions taken by former President Donald Trump, who has previously frozen federal funds to the state.

State Representative Manny Rutinel also secured the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican US Representative Gabe Evans in a competitive district. Rutinel’s campaign emphasized immigration issues, as the district has a significant Latino population. With the upcoming November elections, Democrats aim to gain control of both the House and Senate, needing to net three seats in the House and four in the Senate to achieve this goal.