Endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Melat Kiros ran and won against a 30-year incumbent because she believes Denver’s working people and families deserve a representative who answers to them, not to corporate interests. Melat is a bold leader who will fight against the status quo and deliver real results for the people of Denver and beyond.
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Melat Kiros is a Denver attorney, Democratic Socialist, and first-generation American running to bring real change to Colorado's First Congressional District. The daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, she was fired from her corporate law firm after writing a piece defending pro-Palestinian student protesters, a moment that crystallized exactly why she's in this race: she will always stand on the side of her constituents, not corporate power.
Melat made national news in March 2026 when she received 67% of the delegate vote at the congressional district assembly, handing 30-year incumbent Diana DeGette her worst defeat since 1996.
Diana DeGette has represented this district since 1997. It’s time to elect a leader who represents their voters, not their donors, and who will fight the establishment and the status quo to deliver real results for the people of Denver and beyond.
More about Melat Kiros:
No Corporate PAC money: Melat is committed to getting big money and corruption out of politics and is running a people-funded campaign
Medicare for All: Melat believes the government has an obligation to meet people's basic needs, starting with healthcare
Universal Child and Elder Care: Melat is fighting for the care infrastructure that working families need to thrive
Housing First: Melat is committed to addressing the structural failures that have priced families out of Denver
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Getting money out of politics: Passing term limits, a national small-donor matching program, a five-year lobbying ban for former members of Congress, and an outright ban on stock trading while in office.
Medicare for All: Every American deserves healthcare without the fear of bankruptcy; the U.S. spends nearly twice what other wealthy nations spend for worse outcomes, and that ends with single-payer coverage for all.
Housing as a human right: Investing in a bold housing-first strategy that treats housing as a human right and homelessness as a public health issue, not a criminal one. This means building more long-term housing for all and investing in wraparound services for mental illness and addiction.
Universal childcare: Treating caregiving as essential infrastructure so every child has a safe place to grow and every parent has the freedom to work and thrive, without needing to go into debt.
Peace, Not Wars: Ending funding for wars that cause harm to civilians.
Abolish ICE: Replacing the agency with an immigration system that treats people with dignity and reflects our identity as a nation of immigrants.
Climate and data center accountability: Requiring full disclosure of environmental impacts from data centers, including energy and water usage, with local government authority over approvals.
Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections: An unequivocal commitment to abortion access and full equality for LGBTQ+ people, backed by action not words.scription text goes here
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Justice Democrats
Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption
Working Families Party
Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Coalition for Black Trade Unionists
United Food and Commercial Workers
Learn more about Melat Kiros and see her full list of endorsements on her campaign website.
A mom raising her kids in the Barnum neighborhood, nonprofit leader, community builder with roots across Denver, and endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Chela Garcia Irlando is running to carry Julie Gonzales' torch and keep Senate District 34 a beacon for working families.
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Chela Garcia Irlando is an environmental nonprofit leader, lifelong West Denver community advocate, and mother running to represent Colorado Senate District 34. This seat is currently held by Julie Gonzales, who has endorsed Chela to replace her, as Julie’s seat is term-limited.
She currently serves as Executive Director of the Next 100 Coalition, a national environmental nonprofit, and has previously held leadership roles at the Hispanic Access Foundation, the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, and Latino Outdoors. She founded the Colorado chapter of Latino Outdoors and was a founding leader of Brown Girls Climb, a national nonprofit expanding the outdoors to women of color. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Chicano/a Studies and a Master's in Environmental Studies from CU Boulder and CU.
More about Chela Garcia Irlando:
Working-class roots: Chela worked in restaurants, supported youth programs in Westwood and North Denver, and has been knocking doors in this district since 2006
Affordable housing and anti-displacement: Chela is fighting to keep families in the neighborhoods they built and love
Environmental Justice: Chela is bringing a decade of environmental policy expertise to the legislature
Healthcare Access: Chela believes a dignified life must include healthcare for every family
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Universal healthcare: Fighting for a publicly funded healthcare system that removes profit from care and covers all people regardless of income, employment, or immigration status; opposing privatization of Medicaid and other safety nets.
Homeownership for working families: Prohibiting private equity and corporations from buying up single-family homes; establishing tenant right of first refusal when landlords sell; rebates and incentives for first-time buyers.
Lowering healthcare costs and ending medical debt: Banning wage garnishment for unpaid medical bills, capping interest rates on medical debt, and expanding financial assistance for low-income patients.
Climate and water protection: Bringing a decade of environmental policy expertise to the legislature to protect Colorado's water, reduce carbon emissions, and advance clean energy that creates good union jobs.
Renter protections and anti-displacement: Supporting rent stabilization, just-cause eviction protections, legal representation for low-income tenants, and a ban on algorithmic rent price-fixing by corporate landlords.
Education and equitable career pathways: Expanding access to colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeships; eliminating the burden of lifelong debt for people investing in their futures.
Labor rights and union strength: Supporting the Worker Protection Act to make it easier to organize; requiring Project Labor Agreements on state-funded projects; fighting for a just transition to union renewable energy jobs.
Reproductive freedom: Protecting and expanding abortion access at every level, including requiring hospitals undergoing mergers to maintain reproductive care
Housing people can afford: Eliminating exclusionary zoning rooted in racial segregation; supporting lot splitting, transit-oriented development, and middle-density housing like triplexes and townhomes.
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Bernie Sanders, United States Senator
Sierra Club
Working Families Party
Conservation Colorado
Jane Fonda Climate PAC
Learn more about Chela Garcia Irlando and see her full list of endorsements on her campaign website.