Democrats fear another loss to the left in Colorado primary

House Democrats are watching with trepidation as another one of their veteran colleagues tries to fend off a left-wing challenger in the Colorado primaries on Tuesday. The race will help reveal whether the big anti-establishment victories in New York last week were one-offs or a sign of the new normal for longtime Democratic incumbents. Rep. Diana DeGette has told colleagues that she thinks she will ultimately prevail over attorney and PhD student Melat Kiros but is taking the challenge seriously. However, one House Democrat who spoke anonymously said it's quite likely DeGette will lose, and that Democratic leadership ignores this at its own peril.

DeGette, a lawyer and former state legislator who has represented her Denver-based House seat since 1997, is facing one of the most serious challenges of her decades-long political career. Despite being a Congressional Progressive Caucus member and Medicare-for-All cosponsor, DeGette has been tagged by the left as a defender of Israel and recipient of corporate PAC support. She has been endorsed by the co-chairs of the CPC's PAC — Reps. Greg Casar, Maxwell Frost and Pramila Jayapal — as well as many pro-abortion groups and other establishment-aligned progressive organizations.

Kiros, a 29-year-old Democratic Socialists of America member backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna, was born the same year that DeGette first took office. The Notre Dame law graduate made headlines after being fired by her law firm in 2023 for refusing to take down a Medium post defending pro-Palestinian advocacy and criticizing Israel. She has been backed by left-wing groups including DSA, Track AIPAC, the Colorado Working Families Party, Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement.

DeGette told Axios last week that she is "feeling pretty good" about her primary, a sentiment she has also expressed privately in conversations with colleagues. A second House Democrat who spoke anonymously said DeGette says she will be ok, but personally they worry. A third House Democrat said DeGette thought she would be ok but is taking it seriously and has done all she can. "I would be worried if I were her," the third lawmaker said, noting it is not helpful when Bernie and colleagues endorse against you.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, this primary has attracted millions in outside spending. The largest spender has been Pro-Choice Majority Action, a "pop-up" PAC with ties to the Democratic Women's Caucus and indirectly AIPAC, spending over $1.5 million supporting DeGette. Another mysterious pop-up super PAC, Mile High Accountability Project, has spent nearly $500,000 backing DeGette. Justice Democrats' super PAC has been Kiros' biggest spender at over $500,000, followed by left-wing PAC American Priorities at $150,000.