By John Frank | Axios Denver
Two days after her upset in the Democratic primary for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, Melat Kiros stood with party leaders behind a banner that read: “Together We Win.”
- Yes, but: Now she appears quite lonely.
The intrigue: Some Democratic candidates are keeping their distance from the 29-year-old democratic socialist on the campaign trail.
- And at least three Democratic moderate candidates are vocally expressing concern about her candidacy.
Why it matters: The box-out on Kiros exposes divisions in the Democratic Party and undercuts the party’s unity messaging heading into the November midterms.
State of play: Kiros defeated 30-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette by more than 13 percentage points in the June primary for the Denver-based district.
- At a Democratic Party unity event July 1, she said she was “so honored and so excited to be standing here among fighters.”
- U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) are backing her bid, their spokespeople say, but other members of Colorado’s federal delegation are keeping her at arm’s length.
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