Melat Kiros Becomes First Gen Z Black Woman Candidate Elected To Congress 

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Last night’s midterm election was one of many firsts, including Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black woman to be elected governor. Colorado also saw a first, as Melat Kiros became the first Gen Z candidate elected to Congress. 

NPR reports that Kiros won Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in the House. Kiros won by an overwhelming margin, receiving 78.3% of the vote compared to her Republican opponent. In addition to being the first Gen Z Congressmember, Kiros is also the first Black woman to represent Colorado in Congress. 

Kiros’s political ascent this year has been astonishing. She turned heads during the primaries after defeating 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette for the Democratic nomination. Kiros rode a wave of voter frustration with party leadership, running a platform that focused on the cost of living, Medicare for All, and reevaluating America’s relationship with Israel. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Kiros received the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), End Citizens United, and Justice Democrats. 

With Kiros and four other DSA candidates winning their races, the DSA has tripled its numbers in Congress. KKCO News interviewed Kiros on how she’ll be able to work with establishment Democrats to pass legislation, given the contentious relationship between the DSA and establishment during the campaign period. 

“It’s such an important question, right? Because we have a responsibility not just to make a bunch of noise; we have to actually get things done. The problem that we have is a system that has concentrated wealth at the top, that has allowed the wealthy and the powerful to inject tens of millions of dollars, in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars, to buy up politicians like they’re buying a cup of coffee,” Kiros told the outlet. 

“That kind of system is never going to reflect the will of where the people are at.” 

Throughout her campaign, Kiros drove home that her policy stances, which have long been labeled progressive and radical, are actually becoming increasingly pragmatic given the scale of issues facing the average American. 

“Our responsibility is to demonstrate to our future colleagues that not only is it the democratic thing to do to get something like Medicare for All passed, which has support of two-thirds of Americans and a supermajority of support among Democratic voters. It is also the pragmatic thing to do, if we want to beat back fascism,” Kiros told KKCO.

Kiros told CBS News that she believes her youth is “one of my greatest advantages,” as she’s “not burdened by the traditions and the norms of the past.”

“Young people understand that we are in the fight of our lives,” Kiros said in an interview with NPR earlier this year. “We need to have leaders that are going to be fighting for the kind of bold policies that actually get something done, and they’re refusing to settle or wait for our turn or ask for permission.”

Kiros joins Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) as the only two members of Congress under 30. As a young-ish person, I really hope that having more young people in Congress means that issues facing my generation and the ones below me are taken seriously. 

SEE ALSO:

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