Upset Victory in Denver Primary
In a surprising result, a 29-year-old socialist emerged victorious in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, marking the end of a long tenure for the incumbent Denver lawmaker.
Merat Quiros, an Ethiopian immigrant and lawyer, expressed his shock at the results. The Associated Press noted that incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette garnered 49.3% of the vote, winning 43.5% of the House seat with a 78% vote count rate. Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Quiros, with the strong backing from Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, is now seen as a leading candidate for the upcoming general election in November.
Quiros’ campaign gained traction not only from the DSA but also from the support of an independent senator from Vermont. Figures like Bernie Sanders, who is associated with the left-wing group Our Revolution, also endorsed him. Additionally, Chris Love, another DSA-supported candidate, won a Democratic nomination for a seat in Philadelphia earlier this year. This group has previously supported progressive candidates, including the well-known Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during her successful bid in 2018.
Interestingly, Quiros shares the same age as Ocasio-Cortez when she first entered Congress.
Tracking AIPAC, a group that monitors campaign contributions from the Israeli lobby, showed that Quiros is among the successful candidates with socialist ties.
Quiros has been vocal about his experiences, stating, “When I spoke out against the genocide in Gaza, powerful people told me to keep quiet or I would lose my job.” He highlighted that he refused to back down and aims to carry that same spirit into Congress.
His journey hasn’t been without challenges; for instance, he was let go by a law firm after openly criticizing Israel in a public letter. Quiros continues to address anti-Semitism within the context of Israel-Palestine relations, arguing that the Israeli government uses allegations of anti-Semitism to deflect criticism of its actions against Palestinians.
In a March speech, Quiros declared, “My name is Merat Quiros. I’m a lawyer. I’m a doctoral student. I’m a barista. And I’m an immigrant.” At that event, DeGette received a significant portion of the vote, but if she had dipped below 30%, she would have been disqualified from the race.
Historically, the 1st District has had a strong Democratic presence, having nominated Kamala Harris as Vice President. Over the past 50 years, only two members have held the seat, DeGette and her predecessor Pat Schroeder. The last Republican vote here was in 1970.
DeGette has been aligned with the left-leaning Congressional Progressive Caucus since 1997, the year Quiros was born. Notably, she voted alongside most of her Democratic colleagues to provide military support to Israel shortly after the attack on October 7, which saw a near-unanimous House approval.
Quiros’ victory mirrors a broader trend seen just a week prior, when three other left-wing candidates backed by socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdani triumphed over moderate rivals, with two incumbents losing their seats.
