Melat Kiros, a socialist candidate in Colorado, recently called for a greater number of immigrants with ties to the global south to enter political office. She asserted that their presence is crucial to counter what she described as the “exploitative and extractive” character of the United States.
Kiros participated in the Wa’Ela Tigrai gathering held in Denver, Colorado, last weekend. During the event, she discussed her burgeoning congressional campaign, which gained momentum after her victory over long-serving incumbent Representative Diana DeGette, a Democrat from Colorado, in a Democratic primary election last month.
Advocating for Diverse Political Representation
Drawing parallels to the experiences of House members often referred to as the “Squad,” such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Kiros highlighted the significance of empowering others to follow in her footsteps to foster a transformation of the global order. She contended that one effective method involves promoting individuals who possess a fundamental understanding of American exploitation.
"There's a certain reckoning that we are going to have to have with the global world order as it exists today and the way that it fundamentally will have to shift going forward," Kiros stated. "The responsibility that we have as Americans, the recognition that is going to be required of us, of the exploitative and extractive nature that we play on the global scale and the global stage is only going to be challenged if we are getting represented by people who understand that on a fundamental level."
She further elaborated on her vision, stating, "And that means getting more immigrants into office. That means getting more people who have heritage in the global south into office because that's where those decisions are made specifically."
Kiros is among several candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who successfully unseated incumbent Democratic politicians in primary elections for the upcoming 2026 midterm cycle.
Critique of Capitalism and the Legal System
During the event, Kiros also articulated an anti-capitalist perspective, rooted in her professional background as an attorney, which she claimed had "broke [her] spirit."
"When I was in law school, I tell everybody that was where I learned that the system is not broken, that it's actually working exactly as it was designed to. And that really kind of broke my spirit a little bit and made me believe there's really nothing to be done, which is why I went to a big law firm in the first place and just wanted to retire and take care of my parents and call it a day. But that's no way to live, right? At the end of the day, the spirit of our people, the spirit of our community and our culture is to fight and to never give up," Kiros recounted.
She added, "Regardless of what ends up happening, regardless of what happens with my own candidacy and this general and then what this potential, you know, office could look like with me in it… I would rather go down fighting than to give up."
Professional Background and Activism
In 2023, Kiros was terminated from her position at the law firm Sidley Austin. This occurred after she published an open letter that criticized various law firms, including her own, for their responses to calls for action against antisemitism on college campuses.
