Far-left Colorado House candidate Melat Kiros suggested that communists are welcome within the Democratic Party, describing it as a "big tent." Speaking with PBS host Margaret Hoover on Friday, Kiros, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, addressed concerns that her and other progressive candidates' successes signal a resurgence of communist ideology.
"Some members of the Democratic Party are proudly proclaiming themselves as capitalists," Kiros observed. She clarified that she does not personally identify as a communist. "At the end of the day, it’s up to the voters, right? Until a self-proclaimed communist actually wins an election, then it’s just noise from the Republican Party."
Kiros stated that none of the successful progressive candidates ran on a communist platform. "There's no one actually winning with that," she said.
Communism, as envisioned by Karl Marx, is characterized as a classless, stateless society ruled by the working class, potentially achieved through revolution. Supporters claim it promotes fairness, while critics point to historical instances of corrupt dictatorships in societies that identified as communist. Democratic socialists, by contrast, advocate for a multi-party democratic government and policies such as Medicare for All and police reform.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is noted as the largest socialist organization in the U.S., with over 200 chapters across 48 states. Kiros's interview with Hoover aimed to "make sense of socialism."
Kiros, a 29-year-old PhD student and barista who emigrated from Ethiopia, secured an upset victory over long-serving Congressmember Diana DeGette in Colorado's primary election in June. She is now running to represent Colorado's 1st District. Her platform includes goals such as "ending all wars" and providing healthcare and childcare as human rights.
Following her primary win, DeGette, who had served 15 terms in Congress, stated, "Frankly, this was not the way I would have wanted to end my career in politics, but I'm proud of my accomplishments."
Currently, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib are the only members of Congress affiliated with the DSA. Senator Bernie Sanders, despite his long advocacy for socialist ideals, is not a registered DSA member.
The DSA has endorsed a record 150 candidates in the current election cycle. Of these, 35, including Kiros, have advanced from primaries or were unopposed, while 34 have lost. In recent local elections, self-described democratic socialists such as Zohran Mamdani, who won a New York City mayoral election in late 2024, and Katie Wilson, who won the post of Seattle mayor, have achieved electoral success. Neither identifies as a communist. The last time a democratic socialist won a national elected office in the U.S. was in 1924, with the exception of some local municipal or advisory positions.