Socialist ousts Dem in Colorado primary
Chief congressional reporter Chad Pergram reports on the far left’s surge in the Democratic Party after Socialist candidate Melat Kiros ousted 14-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in Denver, marking the 27th consecutive primary victory this cycle, prompting sharp warnings from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
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The far left is taking its political playbook across the country, from major wins in New York City and Colorado to a series of upcoming Democratic contests in Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida.
After left-leaning and socialist candidates scored ballot-box victories over establishment rivals in the New York City and Colorado primaries two weeks ago, leftists are turning to the Midwest.
Hours after the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) endorsed challenger and first-time candidate Melat Kiros toppling Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette at Tuesday’s primary in Denver’s deep blue 1st Congressional District, former Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri promised on social media, “On August 4th, St. Louis will do the same.”
Kiros’ victory, coupled with wins last week by three far-left congressional candidates heavily backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, bolsters progress as they try to turn the green-city unrest into a national campaign of pressure against the Democratic Party.
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“Only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US. Our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class – not the crumbs,” DSA said in a social media post on Wednesday.
In Missouri, DSA-backed Bush is running to win his seat in St. Louis-anchored 1st Congressional District of the state.
Bush, a nurse, teacher and Black Lives Matter activist, first ran against Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay in 2018 before ousting him in the 2020 Democratic primary. But two years ago, he lost the nomination for St. Louis County District Attorney. Louis County Wesley Bell, who was supported by millions of foreign money, including pro-Israel groups that opposed Bush’s position on the war in Gaza.
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Former Democratic Representative Cori Bush of Missouri is running in 2026 to regain her old seat in the US House. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Fast forward to today, and Bush and Clay are locked in an expensive and controversial rematch.
The far left also trained artillery on the important Great Lakes battlefield of Michigan, which held its base on the same day as Missouri.
Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director who ran unsuccessfully for governor eight years ago as an insurgent, is one of three candidates trying to succeed the retired Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, D-Fla.
Supported last year by the far left champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, El-Sayed on Thursday was endorsed by progressive rockstar attorney Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a progressive champion, has endorsed far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s 2026 Democratic Senate primary. (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“AOC has changed the course of American politics and inspired a generation to believe that government can work for working people,” El-Sayed wrote on social media. “Together, we are proving that even in the face of unprecedented spending, crowd-funded movements can prevail.”
One week later, on Aug. 11, Wisconsin holds primaries.
Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong is surging amid a crowded field in the race to replace retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
“It’s a good day to be a democratic socialist,” DSA affiliate Hong wrote in X last week after a landslide victory in New York City, where two congressional candidates failed to get elected. “Wisconsin is next!”
A week later, the spotlight will shine on Florida, where DSA-backed Oliver Larkin is challenging Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., in the 25th District, which includes parts of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
“Tonight, @MelatKirosCO, tomorrow @OliverALarkin. Movement from New York to Colorado to FLORIDA!,” DSA wrote X hours after the victory of Kiros.
Kiros, who lost his job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, is also backed by the Justice Democrats, a nearly decade-old political party known for its strong support of “Squad” members Ocasio-Cortez, and Reps.
Hasan Piker, a controversial left-wing broadcaster who attended Kiros’ main night event in Denver, told Fox News, “I think progressive politics, left-leaning politics, labor-focused politics, can work in every state, every state. That’s why I’ve been saying over and over again, it’s coming to a town near you.”
Progressives also scored a surprise victory in the neighboring 8th District, a key seat along the I-25 corridor north of Denver.
State Representative Manny Rutinel scored a convincing double-digit victory over former State Representative Shannon Bird, a more moderate candidate. Rutinel will now face Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who turned the seat in the 2024 cycle.
The race is considered one of two or three dozen that will determine whether the GOP holds on to its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.
Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 2016 and 2020 presidential candidate, told Fox News Digital that “there is no denying that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can inspire a candidate if he is an acceptable option in the current situation.”
While most mainstream Democrats have won primary victories in recent weeks, it is the far left’s victory that is grabbing the media spotlight.
And that gives Republicans, who are facing a dire political situation as they work to hold onto their minority House and Senate positions, more ammunition as they portray all Democrats as radicals.
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President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of the threat of “communism”.
Vice President JD Vance argued Tuesday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that Democrats “have the idea that the United States is a bad country that needs to be torn down and built back up. That’s communism at its core, and you see a growing push in that direction from the Democratic Party.”
