Melat Kiros, the 29-year-old anti-Israel socialist who stunningly defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in Tuesday night’s primary race, said she will not support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the party leader.
“I’m not supporting anyone for leadership who takes corporate PAC money. I’m dead serious about this issue. We have to start setting a standard now,” Kiros, a Democratic Socialists of America member who bashed Dem leaders throughout her campaign, told Politico after her victory.
Kiros notched another win for the far-left, who have been successfully challenged incumbent Democrats in deep-blue districts — including in New York City, where three lefty candidates endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primaries last week.
The results could shift the House Democratic caucus further to the left following the midterm elections — and possibly jeopardize Jeffries’ leadership in the party.
Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters Monday DeGette — who became a member of congress before Kiros was even born — was “forcefully making her case” for re-election.
The Brooklyn representative also blamed President Trump for the “unsettled electoral environment” wreaking havoc on incumbent Democrats.
“It’s not a surprise that there are highly competitive primaries in deep blue parts of the country that are also unfolding this cycle,” he said.
Kiros, an Ethiopia-born Ph.D. student and former attorney backed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has called for an end of US aid to Israel, abolishing ICE, universal healthcare and “publicly financed elections.”
She viral in the weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack after she as fired from her New York law firm for writing an open letter arguing that calling for the elimination of Israel isn’t antisemitic.
Kiros is expected to cruise in the general election, as Colorado’s 1st District is rated solidly Democratic by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
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