November’s ballots in Colorado and New York will carry the names of two political newcomers who share a party affiliation, a powerful backer, and an ambitious blueprint for reshaping who sits in Washington.
Colorado voters recently handed a primary victory to Melat Kiros, ending the 15-term congressional tenure of Rep. Diana DeGette. Kiros, born in Ethiopia, now stands as the Democratic nominee heading into the general election.
Her academic credentials include a law degree earned at Notre Dame.
Before entering politics, she worked at a law firm, a position she lost after speaking out publicly against the firm’s stance on Palestine in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Kiros’s nomination signals something larger than a single district’s political shakeup.
The Democratic Socialists of America, long associated primarily with New York City politics, now claims a foothold in Colorado as well.
That New York connection remains strong through a second candidate on this cycle’s ballot. Darializa Avila Chevalier is running for a congressional seat there after being personally chosen by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Chevalier’s activism dates back to her college years at Columbia University, where she launched a group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest. The organization is more commonly known by its acronym, CUAD.
An Instagram post laying out CUAD’s mission described a goal of dismantling Western civilization entirely.
The statement declared, “We reject every genocidal, eugenicist regime that seeks to undermine the personhood of the colonized.”
That same post explained the group’s ambition to draw guidance from abroad, stating it sought “community and instruction from militants in the Global South.”
Inside DSA circles, the term “Global South” carries specific meaning. It designates virtually every country on Earth except the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Geography alone does not define the term. Nations throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia fall under the label, as does China, along with select countries in the Middle East.
Following her primary win, Kiros sat down with Breitbart News to discuss her vision for the party’s future. She outlined a strategy centered on recruiting more Global South immigrants to run for American political office.
According to Kiros, America’s global posture demands a reckoning. She told the outlet that the country’s approach “fundamentally will have to shift going forward.”
Kiros elaborated that Americans must confront “the exploitative and extractive nature that we play on the global scale and the global stage.”
She said that reality “is only going to be challenged if we are getting represented by people who understand that on a fundamental level.”
Her prescription for that challenge centers on representation. “That means getting more immigrants into office,” Kiros said, adding, “That means getting more people who have heritage in the global south into office.”
The strategy is already producing results, according to the report. DSA-aligned figures have taken political control in isolated pockets across the country, with Kiros’s Colorado victory representing the latest expansion.
Party ambitions extend well beyond individual House seats. Broader DSA goals include abolishing the United States Senate entirely.
The Electoral College also appears on the list of institutions the movement seeks to eliminate. Prisons and national borders round out additional targets named within DSA-aligned organizing materials.
Kiros now heads toward a November general election matchup after unseating a congresswoman who held her Colorado seat for fifteen terms.
DeGette’s departure from the race closes out a lengthy run in the House of Representatives.
Chevalier, meanwhile, continues her campaign with Mamdani’s direct endorsement behind her. The mayor selected her specifically for New York’s congressional race, tying her candidacy closely to his own political rise.
Together, the two candidacies illustrate a coordinated push by Democratic Socialists of America members to expand their footprint in federal races nationwide.
What began as a New York City phenomenon now stretches into Colorado, with organizers signaling further growth to come.
