Milat Kiros is the new face of the Colorado Democratic Party
Melat Kiros is headed to Congress as a rising progressive star after toppling the state's Democratic old guard and establishing herself as the party's next-generation leader Why it matters: The 29-year-old democratic socialist's meteoric rise could influence the party's future by challenging establishment leaders and pushing a more aggressive agenda in Washington. State of play: Kiros started as an insurgent, defeating a 15-term incumbent in Denver's 1st Congressional District primary election. She didn't hesitate to battle the party even as others appeared reluctant to embrace her. Now, the Ethiopian-born attorney is making history as Colorado's first Gen Z member of Congress and the first Black woman elected to represent the state. The intrigue: Kiros won 78.3% of the vote in the 2026 election — the highest share of any Colorado Democrat running for federal office, even outperforming incumbents who had weak challengers. She built a national profile with endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Justice Democrats, campaigning for fellow democratic socialists, including Michigan's Donavan McKinney, and making national TV appearances . What she's saying: "We're seeing massive wins for Democrats, but we're also seeing an expectation with those votes and with these wins that we actually do something with
