The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is expanding its reach into the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado, where a handful of primary elections on Tuesday are shaping up to be the next battleground in the fight between the far left and the center-left establishment over the future of the Democratic Party.
The DSA's focus on Colorado comes after a series of victories in New York City, where DSA-backed candidates ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez won a congressional primary by defeating an establishment-backed candidate.
The DSA is now looking to replicate its strategy across the country, starting with the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st Congressional District, a solidly blue seat anchored in Denver that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by a wide margin in the 2024 election.
Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who has held the seat for three decades, is facing two primary challengers, including DSA-backed Melat Kiros, a first-time candidate and former attorney who has gained support from Justice Democrats.
Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, is running on a platform of progressive values, including Medicare-for-All and a living wage.
The Democratic Party divide will also play out in the primary in the neighboring 8th Congressional District, which stretches along the I-25 corridor north of Denver, where state Rep. Manny Rutinel is running to the left of former state Rep. Shannon Bird.
Immigration has been a top issue in the Democratic primary in this district, where roughly 40% of the population is Latino, and Rutinel has criticized Bird for a vote she cast opposing a measure limiting cooperation between local and state law enforcement and ICE.
Another primary showdown highlighting the split between progressives and moderates, as well as the party's generational divide, is the Senate nomination battle between incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper and former state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a 43-year-old progressive who was once a member of the DSA.
The winner of this primary will face Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, who is unopposed in his primary, and the state's expensive and combustible Democratic gubernatorial primary pits Sen. Michael Bennet against state Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The winner of this primary will be considered the clear favorite to succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay man elected governor in the nation's history.
