Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Melat Kiros

Denver ICE walkout turns violent, and the journalists filming it say they were attacked 
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Denver ICE walkout turns violent, and the journalists filming it say they were attacked 

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The flyer set the time at noon, Friday, September 4, at La Alma-Lincoln Park. No work. No school. No shopping. ICE out. There was a DJ. There were food trucks. Kids danced. Then the water bottles started flying, and by the time the crowd cleared, three people had gone to the hospital and at least one woman had been beaten until one eye was swollen nearly shut. Denver police counted five assaults or altercations in a little over an hour at the park at 1200 N. Osage St. Three people who came with cameras told RMV they were chased, hit, robbed, and in one case kicked on the ground while curled in a ball. Their footage, and photographs published by a mainstream Denver paper, show a good deal of what they say happened. W...
What DSA wants to do to the Senate, the presidency and the courts
Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

What DSA wants to do to the Senate, the presidency and the courts

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Cliff Connolly wanted his fellow socialists to understand why the fight was worth having. "The whole point of having the Senate, the president, and the Supreme Court is so that, if popular legislation passes through the House of Representatives, the ruling class has these other levels they can pull to stop it from happening," he said, according to City Journal, which reported from inside the meeting. He pointed to the Supreme Court striking down President Biden's student debt plan as his example. Connolly sits on the Democratic Socialists of America's National Political Committee, the group's highest governing body between conventions. He was arguing for language DSA has now adopted as official policy: a plan to take a...
Poll Finds Socialists Now Outnumber Republicans Among Denver Voters
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Poll Finds Socialists Now Outnumber Republicans Among Denver Voters

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette More Denver voters identify as socialists than Republicans, continuing a three-year rise that comes on the heels of Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros’ upset primary victory over longtime U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette. Seventeen percent of Denver voters now identify as socialists, up from 12% last year and 11% two years ago, according to a new Colorado Polling Institute (CPI) poll. Just 15% of voters identify as Republican. The shift follows Kiros’ June victory over DeGette, a 15-term incumbent, by 13.4 percentage points or more than 21,100 votes, in the Democratic primary. The poll also depicts an electorate broadly positive about Denver: Most voters believe the city is headed in the right direction and nearly f...
Colorado Rep. Jeff Crank Forces House Showdown Over Socialism, Challenges Democrats to Go on Record
Fox News, Approved, National

Colorado Rep. Jeff Crank Forces House Showdown Over Socialism, Challenges Democrats to Go on Record

By James Cirrone | Fox News The measure cites Zohran Mamdani's New York City mayoral win and calls for passage of the SAVE Act. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., introduced a measure Thursday condemning socialism in all its forms, telling Fox News Digital he wants to use the vote to force moderate House Democrats to take a more public stance against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). "I keep hearing people like Hakeem Jeffries and others in the Congress saying that they oppose the DSA. Let's see if they're willing to vote for a resolution that would oppose them," Crank told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. Crank's House resolution cites New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory as one of the clearest signposts of the DSA’s growing politic...
Antisemitism Concerns Follow Kiros Into Colorado Congressional Race
Axios Denver, Approved, State

Antisemitism Concerns Follow Kiros Into Colorado Congressional Race

By Esteban L. Hernandez | Axios Denver Some Jewish leaders in Colorado are calling for more engagement from congressional candidate Melat Kiros as she goes from political newcomer to frontrunner in the 1st District race. Why it matters: The tensions arrive amid heightened concern over antisemitic hate crimes locally and nationwide, as well as broader debate over where criticism of Israel ends and antisemitism begins. State of play: Brandon Rattiner, senior director at the Jewish Community Relations Council, says he wants Kiros to "have the political courage" to address concerns among Jewish constituents. Rattiner says Kiros should more directly acknowledge Jewish Coloradans who say they feel targeted by antisemitism and should make...
A socialist endorsement for mayor: What Denver DSA’s backing of Shontel Lewis means.
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

A socialist endorsement for mayor: What Denver DSA’s backing of Shontel Lewis means.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver's Democratic Socialists of America chapter has picked a candidate in the 2027 race for mayor. In an August 25 release, the chapter said it was "proud to announce their endorsement of Councilwoman Shontel M. Lewis for Mayor of Denver in the 2027 election." The endorsement comes from the chapter itself, in its own words. What is worth slowing down on is the word itself. For DSA, an endorsement is not a pat on the back. It is a category with rules attached, and the rules are written down. The candidate Lewis is a first-term councilmember for District 8, a seat that runs through Park Hill and parts of East Colfax.  She filed an affidavit in July to run for mayor in the April 6, 2027, municipal election, a...
Socialist Surge Raises Alarm Among Denver Business Leaders
Fox News, Approved, State

Socialist Surge Raises Alarm Among Denver Business Leaders

By Kristine Parks, Julia Bonavita and Nikolas Lanum | Fox News Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President JJ Ament worries more regulations will hurt small businesses. Affordability was a top concern among voters who helped launch democratic socialist congressional candidate Melat Kiros to victory in Denver's Democratic primary in June over 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette.  But as democratic socialists gain momentum in Colorado, business owners are grappling with how their progressive policies may collide with the actual costs of running a business in Denver. "With DSA specifically, I think that, too many times, the rhetoric sounds great until it meets the economic realities," J.J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber o...
Socialist Melat Kiros Victory Exposes Growing Divide Among Colorado Democrats
Axios Denver, Approved, State

Socialist Melat Kiros Victory Exposes Growing Divide Among Colorado Democrats

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 t...
Hillman: Democratic Socialism is about control
Mark Hillman, Approved, Commentary, State, Uncategorized

Hillman: Democratic Socialism is about control

By Mark Hillman | Commentary, Capitol Review Democratic Socialists are cruising through Democratic Party primaries like a hot knife through butter. Entitled young adults, especially, respond to their angst-driven message, frustrated that expensive college degrees landed them entry-level jobs easily attained without a six-figure education. Here in Colorado, Melat Kiros’ decisive win over 30-year incumbent Diana DeGette led a socialist wave in Denver that also saw a first-term centrist legislator ousted by a DSA challenger. U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper did fend off a challenge by state Sen. Julie Gonzales, but the former two-term governor and mayor of Denver, lost to Gonzales in Denver by 13,000 votes. And in Congressional District 8, social-media obsessed state Rep....
Colorado Independents Put Two-Party Politics to the Test in 2026
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Independents Put Two-Party Politics to the Test in 2026

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado It appears Colorado will have a three-way race for governor. Former Republican Congressman Greg Lopez, who is running for governor as an independent, says the Secretary of State's Office has certified him for the ballot. Last Friday, Doctor Shimon Blau also qualified as an independent in the 1st Congressional District, which encompasses Denver. While independent candidates are underdogs in most races, CBS Colorado analysts Mike Dino, a Democrat, and Dick Wadhams, a Republican, say don't count them out. For years, Coloradans have been moving away from the two major parties and registering as unaffiliated. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO