Newcomer Blau casts himself as Denver's moderate candidate
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Shimon Blau poses for a portrait in Denver. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
It took independent congressional candidate Shimon Blau just three days in July to secure a spot on the November ballot to run for the Denver seat. He credits the effort to voters who he says want "less polarization in politics."
Why it matters: Blau is mounting a long-shot grassroots bid as a political unknown in the 1st Congressional District, hoping to pull off a massive upset this fall.
- The strategy appears to mimic the playbook Melat Kiros used in her own upset win in the June Democratic primary.
What they're saying: "It testifies to the dissatisfaction of people in Denver with our current candidates," Blau tells us, referring to gathering enough valid signatures in such a short time span.
Caveat: As an unaffiliated candidate, he was able to collect signatures from eligible voters in the district regardless of political affiliation.
State of play: Blau is a semi-retired pain management doctor and first-time candidate who was born and raised in Denver's West Side.
- He says he's never affiliated with either major party, won't take money from AIPAC, backs U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker, and wants to "fight" President Trump's tariffs.
- If elected, he'll focus on lowering health care costs, supporting businesses and strengthening environmental protections. He plans to remain an independent in Congress but caucus with Democrats.
Context: Blau says Kiros' primary victory prompted him to run.
- He has called her "extreme" while casting himself as a more moderate alternative. He characterized some of Kiros' prior statements as antisemitic (she clarified her remarks in an interview last month).
- Blau, who is Jewish, told CPR News that Kiros' comments about the Boulder firebombing and a 2023 letter responding to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel were "hurtful to the Jewish community" and "disturbing," respectively.
The other side: Blau's suggestion that Kiros' comments are antisemitic incorrectly conflates her criticism of Israel with a criticism of Jewish people, local political strategist and Kiros supporter Deep Singh Badhesha tells us.
- "I don't see him as a real threat at all," Singh Badhesha adds.
Zoom out: Despite similar accusations of antisemitism, progressive New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gained support among Jewish New Yorkers.
- "Those attacks don't land anymore," Singh Badhesha added.
By the numbers: Nearly 50% of active Denver voters are unaffiliated, a major reason Blau believes he has a shot at winning this fall.
Reality check: Colorado has never elected an unaffiliated candidate for Congress.
- Former U.S. Rep. Lafayette Pence is the last — and only — person elected in the 1st District who wasn't affiliated with Democrats or Republicans, winning as a Populist Party member in November 1892.
The bottom line: Blau faces an increasingly aggressive Colorado Democratic Party, now dead set on winning every congressional seat in the state. That makes his path in a deep blue district even more difficult.
- Blau is unfazed: "I truly believe we are going to win."