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Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and first-time candidate, defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette on Tuesday in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary, the latest signal that progressive momentum and backlash against the Democratic establishment are spreading nationwide.

“We won tonight, but this is also something so much bigger than this moment,” Kiros, who was fired from the law firm Sidley Austin in 2023 for speaking out in support of Palestinian rights demonstrators, told backers late Tuesday after The Associated Press called the race in her favor. “We believe that fundamental change can, and will, happen if we fight for it — if we organize, if we show no fear in standing up for what’s right. That is the message that Denver has sent to both parties, to Donald Trump, and to the entire country.”

Kiros’ upset win came a week after a series of progressive victories in New York congressional primaries, which sparked backlash from the party’s corporate wing. Days after the New York contests, more than........

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