Melat Kiros defeats U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Denver’s Democratic primary

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, defeated U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette on Tuesday in a closely watched Democratic primary that saw Denver voters reject Colorado’s longest serving member of Congress in favor of youth and change.

Read more Ouray County residents can cast ballots online due to wildfire emergency

The Associated Press called the 1st Congressional District race at 10:03 p.m., with Kiros leading DeGette, 68, by 6 percentage points. University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, 62, was trailing in a distant third.

On paper, the race featured two progressive candidates with overwhelmingly similar views. Both support Medicare for all. Both want to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But the campaign — like countless other races across the country in recent months — became a referendum on a Democratic establishment that voters increasingly see as out of touch and incapable of delivering on its promises.

Kiros is a former attorney who most recently worked as a barista while pursuing a graduate degree in public policy. Her family immigrated from Ethiopia to Colorado when she was a baby — and while DeGette was serving her first term in office.

Nia Temu, an unaffiliated voter, cast her ballot last week for Kiros. Temu said she was drawn to her breadth of work experience.

“She seems like she’s more focused on the working everyday person,” Temu, 25, said while strolling through the Tivoli Student Union on Denver’s Auraria Campus Tuesday afternoon.

Read more Super PAC supporting Phil Weiser’s campaign for governor gets $50,000 from dark money group

With Tuesday’s victory, Kiros is all but assured to become Denver’s next congresswoman. The 1st District is a Democratic stronghold that hasn’t elected a Republican since 1970.

In November, she’ll face Republican Christy Peterson, who does office management and accounting at a construction company.

The results were a shocking defeat for DeGette, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who is serving her 15th term in office. Over her career, she rose to the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Health. She played a leading role in reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 2007, and helped draft the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

“I have always voted for her,” said Donna Vreeland, a retired nurse who volunteered for DeGette’s campaign this year. “She fights for us, and that’s important. I want somebody who’s on my side.”

But while DeGette touted her deep experience as an asset, Kiros cast it as a liability, saying that DeGette has become too closely tied to the industries she regulates — and too dependent on their campaign donations.

Read more With multiple deadly and destructive wildfires across Colorado, it’s a “battle for resources,” officials say

This is a developing story that will be updated.