Melat Kiros wins Colorado seat as first Gen Z woman elected to Congress

Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros will represent Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House after an Associated Press race call declared her the winner. Her victory makes the 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and lawyer the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress. Kiros won Tuesday night in the reliably blue district, which includes most of Denver.

Kiros was one of several House winners on Tuesday endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America or one of its local chapters. Many of those candidates shared a core platform aimed at expanding the social safety net for working Americans through policies like Medicare for All and universal childcare.

Many also advocated abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending U.S. military aid to Israel, changes NPR described as more divisive.

Kiros’s criticism of Israel and the war in Gaza became a source of controversy on the campaign trail. Independent candidate Shimon Blau accused her of espousing antisemitic rhetoric. Kiros pushed back, saying her criticism rested with the state of Israel rather than the Jewish people.

Months before her House victory, Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary. NPR characterized the contest as a high-profile party upset. NPR reported that voter frustration with leaders in Washington, D.C., and calls for political change were at the forefront of that contest.

Kiros will arrive on Capitol Hill at a time when Democrats continue to confront calls from many of their voters for generational change. The average age of a lawmaker in Congress has gotten younger in recent years, but being a Gen Z member of Congress remains a rarity.

In a February interview with NPR, Kiros spoke about the role of age in her race and argued that many of her policy positions appeal to young voters in particular. “Young people understand that we are in the fight of our lives,” she said. “We need to have leaders that are going to be fighting for the kind of bold policies that actually get something done, and they’re refusing to settle or wait for our turn or ask for permission.”

At the time of NPR’s report, Maxwell Frost was the only sitting member of Congress under 30. The Florida Democrat became the first Gen Z member elected to the House in 2022.