Melat Kiros is heading to Congress. What change should Denverites expect?

Denver will have new representation in Congress for the first time in 30 years.

Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist, easily won the general election on Tuesday after previously defeating longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary.

But what actually changes in Denver with this changing of the guard?

“Earthquake is a big word, but it’s a remarkable feat,” said Matthew Hitt, a political science professor at Colorado State University, in an interview earlier in the campaign. “It’s a very big moment in Colorado politics, a huge moment for the Democratic Party in Colorado.”

Kiros will join dozens of new faces in the House. Some, like Kiros, are democratic socialists and progressives who were elected in safe blue districts. Elsewhere, more conservative Democrats flipped Republican districts.

Together, they’ll shape the party’s direction as it assumes control of Congress for the next two years.

We spoke with three political science professors and interviewed Kiros this summer to learn what Denverites can expect from her first term.

What does a socialist change?

Denver voters established the city as a hotspot for leftist politics with Kiros’ primary victory in June. On Tuesday, she finished the job — cruising with 78% of the vote as of the latest count.

Her success could mean more attention and more momentum for leftist candidates — with expectations that they’ll get more involved in city and state politics, with Kiros as a new leader in the movement.

Kiros was the first socialist to win a federal or statewide primary in Colorado’s modern history. But she built on a growing political trend in the city: In a 2026 poll , more than half of Denver respondents had favorable views of socialist beliefs, and 17% identified as socialists themselves — a significant gain from 2024.

While her predecessor, DeGette, worked within the system, Kiros has promised to fight for systemic changes — and she aims to mobilize a national movement from outside the power center of the Democratic Party. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The DSA’s official platform calls for universal public systems for healthcare, college and housing; an end to military and economic aid to Israel; and expanded labor rights. Kiros aligns with most of the DSA’s platform, though she has rejected some ideas, like leaving NATO.

Paul Teske, a distinguished professor at the University of Colorado Denver, said that the term “socialist” doesn’t scare young voters as it might older generations.

“My sense is that younger voters who supported Kiros, and others around the country, they’re concerned about housing affordability and inequality in income, which are not unreasonable to be concerned about, because those are maybe worse than they’ve ever been,” he said.

“And so I don’t think it’s such an automatic turnoff to hear that somebody’s a democratic socialist and maybe it’s actually more of a plus if you are focused on campaign finance reform and affordability type issues.”

Kiros and other successful DSA candidates from around the nation reinforced each other’s campaigns. Kiros also used her political clout in the Denver City Council election, endorsing progressive candidate Melissa Mejía, who won by a solid margin against nine other candidates.

Denver voter Adlai Jordan said he voted for Mejía after Kiros’ endorsement.

“And then I canvassed for (Mejía) a bunch of times,” Jordan said at Kiros’ election night party.

Building from scratch

Despite her ambitious goals, Kiros has cautioned it could take years for the left to make real change.

“Medicare for All is something we have to plan for 2028 after we take back the White House. And the case that I’ve made to voters is that Medicare for All is how we MAGA-proof our future,” she said in a July interview with Colorado Matters.

“When we take back power and we have this opportunity to meaningfully pass legislation as a party, we also have an opportunity to make our case for 2032 when inevitably there will be somebody who tries to fill Donald Trump’s shoes and somebody who is going to lay blame to our most vulnerable communities for a system that’s rigged and broken,” she added.

The question of effectiveness was central to the primary campaign. DeGette argued that her seniority and influence would get stuff done for Denver.

In contrast, Kiros will be building from scratch, which can be both a liability and an opportunity. Congress runs in large part on seniority, especially among Democrats, with longtime members rewarded with seats on influential committees. Often, new members are left out.

“If you’re on that committee, then you get to participate in the markups and the votes and the amending and the shaping — and the real work of Congress is in the committee. That’s where legislation is refined and crafted,” said Hitt, the CSU professor. “And so if you’re not on the committee that has jurisdiction over the policies you care about, you have less influence.”

Kiros wants changes in how those committee assignments are handed out. She has called on the Democratic Party to get rid of the rules that reward the longest-tenured members — noting that Republicans already put term limits on committee assignments.

People shouldn’t be “staying in office for 30 years waiting to get the gavel,” she said in a debate in June, a comment aimed at DeGette.

What will she do with the seat?

Kiros could change the Denver seat from a safe blue vote to a platform for challenging leadership. She has already successfully tested Democratic leadership, saying the party needs to rid its campaigns of corporate PAC money — a cause that has been growing in popularity among voters.

Veronica Terriquez, a professor at UCLA who has been studying youth involvement in politics, said that economic inequality is driving young voters’ interest in campaign finance reform — pointing to the possibility that more candidates will follow.

“It’s becoming increasingly obvious that a handful of billionaires, a very wealthy class, are spending a lot of money on elections and they’re having undue influence on the direction of this country and undue influence on states and local communities. I think this has the potential to influence the outcome of elections not only for Congress, but also at the local level, at the state and local level,” Terriquez said.

In fact, Kiros said her first bill would support publicly financed elections and limits on corporate fundraising. She also has said she would not vote for Hakeem Jeffries, currently the Democratic minority leader, to become Speaker of the House.

“I’ll support anybody who doesn’t take corporate money. I’m dead serious about getting money out of our politics,” Kiros said at a press conference after she won the Democratic nomination. “That is the only way we meaningfully get issues and policies that actually support working families done. And we’re going to set a standard.”

Still, she is willing to make deals. She might consider voting for Jeffries if he offered a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, she said in response to a journalist’s question back in July, though that may have changed since.

“I’d have to think about that. That’s an incredibly important committee. It’s one where Medicare For All would get passed through. It’s one where most AI regulation is probably going to get passed through,” Kiros said over the summer. “What I would do in that scenario is seek out the desires of the voters of this district.”

On Election Day, she confirmed that she had met with Jeffries multiple times, though she didn’t divulge any details. Jeffries will be asking for the support of Kiros and other members now that Democrats have secured majorities in both chambers of Congress.

How will Kiros work with Colorado politicians?

Colorado has eight congressional seats. Going into the midterms, the seats were split evenly between the two parties, but the blue wave hit hard. The Democrats had already flipped one seat as of Wednesday afternoon, and more could come.

While Kiros will likely be the most left-leaning member of the delegation, she has stressed that she wants to work with her colleagues.

“I’m a new member of this delegation, and I’m also the youngest. I’m going to learn a lot from the people in this delegation who’ve been in these buildings longer than I have. And I plan to ask a lot of questions, but I’m also going to stay true to what Denver sent me to do,” Kiros said in her speech at a Colorado Democratic event on Tuesday.

“Working people are tired and they are angry. Rent eats over half of our paychecks. Energy bills keep going up. Premiums go up every year and no one trusts Washington to get anything done. We earn that trust back by showing them who we work for and by delivering,” she said.

In return, the state’s delegation has signaled that it welcomes Kiros, even after she eliminated longtime incumbent DeGette.

“The same Democratic Party that can nominate John Hickenlooper and Melat Kiros is a healthy, diverse, and inclusive organization that’s ready to win and deliver results for working people,” state party chair Shad Murib said after the primary election.

Kiros has argued that rather than running from leftists, the party can unify around issues like affordability, fairness and campaign finance reform.

“That’s an issue that actually tracks not just within our own party, but across party lines. Ninety percent of Americans want to get money out of our politics,” she said at a post-primary event. “I think it would behoove the Republicans to get on board with that message.”

Initially, the greatest gap between Kiros and the rest of the Democrats was about the U.S.-Israel relationship. Colorado Democrats had voted along party lines to send more military aid to Israel, and most congressional members — except for Crow and Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert — had taken money from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying organization.

However, as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza killed tens of thousands of people, pressure from constituents rose and all four members of Colorado’s Democratic House delegation voted against sending more military aid to Israel.

Democratic Reps. Brittany Pettersen and Joe Neguse lost the financial backing of AIPAC after releasing a joint statement denouncing Netanyahu.

What about constituent services?

One of the unglamorous jobs of a congressperson is to help constituents deal with the government — from answering questions about unemployment to securing visas.

“I think it’s hard to capture constituent services. People don’t necessarily add up the amount of hours or whatever that’s spent by all Congress people doing this,” Teske said.

DeGette will remain in office until January. During the transition, Denver’s constituent services will be handed off to another member of Congress. DeGette’s team has not yet clarified who will take over.

Kiros’ team confirmed that it reached out to DeGette in an effort to ensure a smooth transition period.

Teske said constituent services are a way for new Congress members to connect with the people they represent and earn some brownie points.

“The classic political science literature is that congresspeople pay super-good attention to constituency service, try not to make any enemies, try to make a lot of friends by solving their problems and putting a lot of energy into that,” Teske said.

But that decision falls to each elected official — including how much manpower they dedicate to services.

“And honestly, that might be a little bit of one of the reasons (DeGette) didn’t win after 15 terms as an incumbent,” he suggested.

Teske also has a personal reason to follow Kiros’ career — he was her Ph.D. professor. He admitted to being surprised — and wrong — when she announced that she was going to run.