Progressives inflict big defeats on incumbent Democrats in US Colorado primaries

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) – Progressive Democrats delivered big upsets in Colorado on Tuesday night, with democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousting U.S. Representative Diana DeGette in a ​Denver-area seat she has held for 29 years.

Progressive state Representative Manny Rutinel defeated former state Representative Shannon Bird in the Democratic primary in ‌Colorado’s Latino-heavy 8th Congressional District, a battleground seat held by Republican Gabe Evans.

And Attorney General Phil Weiser beat U.S. Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination to succeed term-limited Governor Jared Polis. While Weiser outraised Bennet by more than $1 million, he overcame Bennet’s higher name recognition and $11 million in outside spending that had favoured Bennet.

Weiser ran on his track record of suing the Trump administration and ​had attacked Bennet as a Washington insider who supported some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Bennet will remain in the U.S. Senate, ​where his seat is not up for reelection until 2028.

Taken together, the June primary results in Colorado, New York and Maine ⁠suggest Democratic voters are seeking to disrupt the status quo with a new generation of candidates who reject corporate PAC money, stake out tougher positions ​on Israel and present themselves as anti-establishment fighters for the working class.

“The energy in our party is with bold progressives willing to stand up against foreign ​wars, ICE and the billionaire class,” said U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a progressive California Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate.

“The insurgent candidates are tapping into this sentiment, and win or lose, they are pointing the direction for our party.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been at the heart of Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

Evans wasted little time trying to capitalize ​on Rutinel’s victory, likening him to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist.

“Democrats have chosen a far-left, radical socialist, Mamdani-wanna-be extremist — someone who supports ​eliminating oil and gas, defunding law enforcement … and threatening the industries that power our economy,” he said in a statement.

Evans’ seat is a top target for Democrats, who need to ‌net three ⁠seats to win control of the House in November’s midterm elections.

Evans ousted Democrat Yadira Caraveo by less than 1 percentage point in 2024. Trump won the district by less than 2 percentage points in 2024, and Evans enters the general election phase of the campaign with a substantial cash advantage, reporting $3.4 million on hand to Rutinel’s $910,000.

Rutinel’s victory may reignite questions within the Democratic Party about whether progressive candidates can win in competitive districts. The seat was rated a toss-up heading into Tuesday.

DeGette ​suffered the biggest defeat of the ​night. The 68-year-old member of the Congressional ⁠Progressive Caucus first elected in 1996 was ousted by Kiros, a 29-year-old Ethiopian-born former New York attorney and outspoken critic of Israel.

Kiros, a doctoral student at the University of Denver who was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, overcame ​DeGette’s seniority and fundraising and spending advantage to lead by roughly 10 points with more than 90% of the ​vote counted.

Both candidates ⁠support the Medicare for All public health proposal and abolishing ICE but espouse different views on Israel. Kiros has called for ending wars, including by stopping military aid to Israel, while DeGette has said she supports sending only defensive weapons to Israel.

One incumbent did prevail on Tuesday night, but not without ⁠a fight.

Senator ​John Hickenlooper, 74, fended off an unexpectedly robust challenge in the Senate primary from progressive state Senator Julie ​Gonzales, a labor organizer whose platform includes an arms embargo on Israel and reining in ICE.

Hickenlooper raised nearly $10 million for his race compared with Gonzales’ $870,000, although she received endorsements from labor unions ​and progressive organizations. He is expected to easily win reelection.