DeGette avoids upset, makes 1st District ballot
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U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22. Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette narrowly secured a position in the 1st Congressional District primary election Friday, but the 15-term incumbent's name won't appear first on the ballot.
Why it matters: In the deep blue Denver district, the winner of June's Democratic primary is essentially guaranteed to win the seat in November.
State of play: DeGette, 68, received 33% support from delegates at the district's assembly, just over the 30% she needed to qualify for the ballot. Her margin of victory is less than 10 delegate votes.
Yes, but: Melat Kiros, a 28-year-old first-time candidate and democratic socialist, won the assembly vote with 67%, earning the top slot on the ballot and handing DeGette a stunning setback.
The intrigue: Both candidates waged an intense campaign in the days before the assembly, calling delegates to lock in support or asking them to flip allegiances.
- Incumbent lawmakers often submit voter signatures to qualify for the ballot and avoid potential embarrassment in the caucus process, but DeGette didn't.
What she's saying: "We need leadership," DeGette said in an appeal to delegates for support at the assembly. "We need seasoned people who can fight for us in Washington, who can fight against Donald Trump's illegal war, who can fight not just to defund, but also dismantle, ICE."
The other side: "We have never in our entire history made a breakthrough by staying comfortable. Every advance this party has ever made was because someone was willing to push past what was settled, safe and familiar," Kiros told delegates.
The big picture: DeGette's straw poll loss is a warning sign for establishment Democrats across the U.S. who face more progressive challengers.
- Melat's campaign began organizing well ahead of the caucuses held earlier this month, compared to the little effort put forward by DeGette, delegates say.
What's next: The race is expected to include Wanda James, a CU regent, who opted to collect voter signatures to make the ballot.
- And the campaign for the 1st District is bound to intensify ahead of the June 30 primary election.