DeGette vows to stay in CD1 fight as progressive challenger emerges
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Melat Kiros and U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette. Photo: Courtesy of Kiros' campaign and Aaron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, says she's certain Democrats will retake the House next year — and she plans to be part of it.
Why it matters: The longest-serving member of Colorado's congressional delegation concedes her party needs "fresh blood," but has resisted calls to step aside, even as a younger, more progressive challenger gains traction.
The big picture: Congress faces a pivotal midterm election next year that will decide the balance of power in Washington for the duration of President Trump's second term.
- DeGette, who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 1997, recently hosted a media roundtable at her Denver office.
State of play: The 68-year-old Democrat says she still has a role to play in helping enact policies like codifying the right to abortion at the national level and challenging Trump's policies, some of which she called illegal and authoritarian.
- If Democrats win the U.S. House in 2026, DeGette says she would be in line to chair the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee. It makes health care policy work invaluable, she tells us.
What she's saying: "I don't think it's fair to say you should just retire because you've been there for a while, because we need experience," she tells us.
Yes, but: The congresswoman said she has colleagues who "probably should have retired a long time ago" — but she declined to say who.
The intrigue: Melat Kiros, 28, launched her candidacy in Colorado's 1st Congressional District this summer by criticizing the Democratic Party, saying its leaders have failed to deliver sufficient change.
- She's DeGette's first challenger since 2022; DeGette ran unopposed in 2024.
Context: Kiros, a former attorney and current PhD student at CU Denver, tells us she wants to help people meet their basic needs, like housing, health care and education.
- Removing money's influence from politics and banning members of Congress from lobbying after leaving the Capitol are other campaign priorities.
"It just feels like Democrats are just already throwing in the towel on things that may feel like they'll be hard to do, and that's just not a good enough excuse," Kiros told us.
The bottom line: She said she doesn't expect to out-fundraise DeGette, who has obliterated every Democratic Primary challenger she's faced over the past 10 years.
- DeGette, for her part, seems ready for the challenge: "I believe that I should be required to go out to the voters and make the case."