Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who has held her Denver-based House seat since 1997, faces attorney and PhD student Melat Kiros in Tuesday's Colorado Democratic primary, with millions in outside money flowing into the contest. The race follows a string of anti-establishment upsets in New York last week, and multiple House Democrats told Axios they fear another veteran incumbent could fall to the left.
Outside Spending by the Numbers
Pro-Choice Majority Action — a pop-up PAC with ties to the Democratic Women's Caucus and indirect links to AIPAC — leads all spenders with over $1.5 million deployed in support of DeGette. Mile High Accountability Project, a second pop-up super PAC, has added nearly $500,000 backing the incumbent.
On Kiros's side, Justice Democrats' super PAC is the largest backer at over $500,000, followed by left-wing PAC American Priorities at $150,000. SF Solidarity, a super PAC founded by former House candidate Saikat Chakrabarti, filed with the FEC on Monday to spend $26,000 on phone-banking for Kiros in the final stretch.
| Spender | Candidate Supported | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Pro-Choice Majority Action | DeGette | Over $1.5M |
| Mile High Accountability Project | DeGette | Nearly $500K |
| Justice Democrats PAC | Kiros | Over $500K |
| American Priorities | Kiros | $150K |
| SF Solidarity | Kiros | $26K (filed Monday) |
The Candidates and Their Coalitions
DeGette, 68, is a former state legislator and Congressional Progressive Caucus member who has cosponsored Medicare-for-All. Her endorsers include CPC PAC co-chairs Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), along with pro-abortion and other establishment-aligned progressive organizations. The left has nonetheless tagged her as a defender of Israel and a recipient of corporate PAC support.
Kiros, 29, is a Notre Dame law graduate and Democratic Socialists of America member born the same year DeGette first took office. She was fired by her law firm in 2023 after refusing to remove a Medium post defending pro-Palestinian advocacy. Her backers include Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Justice Democrats, the Sunrise Movement, Track AIPAC and the Colorado Working Families Party.
What a Kiros Win Would Signal for House Democrats
The outcome carries implications well beyond Colorado. Anti-establishment candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez won in New York last week; Chris Rabb prevailed in Pennsylvania and Adam Hamawy in New Jersey. A Kiros victory would extend that bloc and, by her own account, translate directly into leverage over House leadership.
Kiros told Axios she would withhold her vote from any Democrat seeking a leadership position who accepts corporate PAC money — explicitly leaving open the possibility of voting against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — and said left-wing members should set explicit conditions on leadership votes and appropriations. DeGette has told colleagues she expects to prevail but is taking the challenge seriously. One anonymous House Democrat was blunter: "I think it's quite likely DeGette will lose."