In a recent interview conducted on Wednesday, Melat Kiros, a socialist candidate for Congress from Colorado, attributed Israel’s actions in the Middle East as a catalyst for anti-Semitic attacks in various countries. Her comments quickly made waves, reflecting the increasingly divisive discourse surrounding Israel and its global repercussions.
Kiros is emblematic of a burgeoning faction within the Democratic Party: far-left, anti-Israel candidates who are gaining traction and shaking up traditional political dynamics. Her recent primary victory in Denver underscores this trend.
In a dramatic political shift, Kiros managed to unseat Diana Degette, a seasoned incumbent, in the Democratic primary. This victory mirrors similar outcomes in New York, where other far-left candidates claimed significant wins, signaling a broader shift within the party’s electorate.
Her rise has not been without controversy. Colorado’s Attorney General, Phil Weiser, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, criticized Kiros for her reluctance to label a deadly incident at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder last year as antisemitic. The incident was thrust into the spotlight during an interview with a 9News host earlier this week.
During this pivotal political moment, a 9News host remarked, “I just spoke with Attorney General Phil Weiser, who secured a win in the Democratic primary for governor last night. He is poised to become Colorado’s next governor, much like you are likely to join the Colorado congressional delegation next year.”
“He has some real concerns about things that you have said about Israel and, in particular, about the firebombing of Jewish people in Boulder, and he told me that he would like to sit down and have a conversation with you so that you can hear where he’s coming from and he can hear where you’re coming from. Are you open to that?”
“Absolutely,” she said to the prospect of having a conversation with Weiser. “You know, at the end of the day, what happened in Boulder was a horrific attack on a group of Jewish people that were peacefully protesting, and we are seeing that the actions of Israel are putting Jewish people in great danger.
“And the hate and the antisemitism that’s rising as a result of it is one that I have every intention of prioritizing and combating.
“I really look forward to sitting down with Phil Weiser to figure out how we can work together to combat that hate.”
In the aforementioned interview, Kiros had said of the convicted bomber, “I don’t know what was in the heart of the perpetrator. All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might have believed, and I don’t even know what the people that were at that protest believed, too.
“In fact, most of them were probably just there to, you know, ask that the people who were kidnapped during Oct. 7 be returned home to their families. That’s not a political statement in and of itself.”
The attack by Mohamed Soliman happened June 1, 2025, targeting a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder. Eighty-two-year-old Karen Diamond was killed, and about a dozen others were injured.
Soliman appeared to disguise himself as a gardener before springing into action, hurling two flaming projectiles at demonstrators, according to prosecutors.
He pleaded guilty in May to state charges, including murder, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Soliman expressed regret for his crime and even said he deserved the death penalty, The New York Times reported. He denied being motivated by hatred of Jews but launched into what the Times called a “rambling diatribe against Zionism, which he described as ‘the enemy.’”
He could still face the death penalty on federal hate crime charges.
Kiros made her opposition to Israel a centerpiece of her successful primary campaign. In her victory speech after clinching the nomination, she said one of her chief goals was to “end the genocide in Palestine.”