Colorado Democrats Choose Phil Weiser for Governor, Melat Kiros for Congress in a Split Primary Night

Tuesday's Colorado primary results have filled in the full picture of where the Democratic Party's internal war stands heading into November.

Weiser Beats Bennet

Phil Weiser, Colorado's two-term attorney general, defeated Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic governor's primary by roughly 55% to 45%, according to the Washington Jewish Week. Bennet had entered the race with name recognition and a long resumé. Three Senate terms and a stint as Denver Public Schools superintendent gave him credibility, but Weiser's outsider framing landed with voters.

"They counted us out, and they underestimated all of you," Weiser said in his victory speech. "We are excited for the work we can do here in Colorado including getting corporate money out of our politics."

Weiser is a former clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. His mother was born at Buchenwald two days after its 1945 liberation. He has been outspoken on Israel and antisemitism, condemning the June 2025 firebombing in Boulder that killed one person and burned seven others during a demonstration calling for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Bennet's family also has Holocaust roots. His grandparents and mother survived the Warsaw Ghetto, though Bennet has said publicly he does not identify as Jewish.

Kiros Topples DeGette in Denver

The bigger upset came in Colorado's 1st Congressional District. Melat Kiros, 29, a lawyer and democratic socialist, defeated Rep. Diana DeGette, 68, who was first elected to Congress the year before Kiros was born, according to the San Juan Daily Star. DeGette was not a weak target by normal standards. She backed Medicare for All, ran ads featuring past praise from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (who stayed neutral in the race), and had opposed sales of "offensive weapons" to Israel. But Kiros ran harder against U.S. military aid to Israel and made generational change the centerpiece of her campaign. She welcomed backing from the Democratic Socialists of America and left-wing livestreamer Hasan Piker.

The San Juan Daily Star noted that Kiros adds to a growing cohort of socialist candidates expected to enter Congress, including Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York and Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania.

Hickenlooper Holds. Rutinel Wins CD-8.

Not every establishment figure fell. Sen. John Hickenlooper defeated progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales by approximately 57% to 43%. Gonzales had accused Israel of committing genocide and called for an arms embargo. That argument did not carry statewide.

In the competitive 8th Congressional District, State Rep. Manny Rutinel beat Shannon Bird, who had been endorsed by Democratic Majority for Israel. Rutinel will face Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in November in what figures to be one of Colorado's marquee general-election contests.

The Tension This Exposes

The strongest concern from the progressive side of this result is straightforward. The Democratic Party's moderate wing has spent years dismissing left-wing energy as a liability, yet candidate after candidate in deep-blue districts keeps winning on a platform of democratic socialism and sharp criticism of U.S. foreign policy. Kiros did not hide her politics or soften her Israel stance, and she won decisively.

But the statewide results complicate that read. Hickenlooper's margin over Gonzales was not close. Weiser, who won the biggest prize of the night, is a strong Israel supporter who has explicitly called out antisemitic violence. Voters in Colorado's 1st District and voters statewide are not the same electorate, and Tuesday's results reflect that gap clearly.

The San Juan Daily Star framed the night primarily as a progressive insurgency rolling through the party. The congressional races fit that framing well. The governor's race, where Weiser's win was also a mainstream Democratic establishment victory, fits less cleanly.

What November Looks Like

All three races — governor, Senate, and CD-8 — will favor Democrats in November, according to the San Juan Daily Star's assessment of Colorado's political lean. Weiser will be the first name on the Democratic ticket for governor. Hickenlooper will defend his Senate seat. Rutinel goes into a genuine toss-up in CD-8 against Evans.

The unresolved question heading into the general election is whether Kiros's profile in CD-1 — democratic socialist, anti-Israel military aid — becomes an asset the state and national party can work around or a sustained liability in a cycle where Republicans will work hard to nationalize every race.