Washington — Melat Kiros, who defeated Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s July primary, was born in 1997, the same year DeGette began her decades-long career in Congress.
On Tuesday night, the 29-year-old democratic socialist made history as the first Gen Z woman to be elected to Congress. Kiros joins Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, who in 2022 was the first member of the generation born between 1997 and 2012 to win a seat in Congress.
In an interview with CBS News, Kiros declined to say what advice she received from Frost regarding entering Congress as the youngest member, but said he “was really wonderful in helping me get a sense of what it was like to come into this institution as young as we are.”
She knows she has a lot to learn: “What’s daunting is the amount of knowledge needed to be effective in Congress, and it will take time to develop and expand.”
Nonetheless, Kiros says she considers her youth “one of my greatest advantages.”
“I’m not burdened by the traditions and norms of the past,” she said.
Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images 
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kiros’ family immigrated to Denver when she was a baby. She graduated from Washington College in Maryland in 2018, where she studied political science and economics, before earning a law degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2022.
She was fired from a major New York City law firm in 2023 after refusing to retract an open letter to dozens of law firms that had urged law school deans to crack down on anti-Semitism on campus as students participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Kiros condemned anti-Semitism, but warned law firms, including the one she worked for, against conflating “such bigotry with the geopolitical question of Israel’s legitimacy.”
“While the letter makes no explicit threat against potential employment at the signatories’ companies, the chilling effect is undeniable,” she wrote in November 2023. “The right to question not only the legitimacy of a government but also its actions is the fundamental principle of a true democracy. That.”
Kiros began to think more seriously about politics in general after his dismissal. She returned to Colorado and joined Democratic congressional candidate John Padora’s 2024 campaign as communications director. It was after President Trump won a second term that she considered running.
“This is not an election we should have lost, and I think we lost in large part because the Democratic Party lost touch with its voters,” she said.
Kiros’ victory in the primary was part of a wave of victories for left-wing insurgents in the spring and summer that sparked the Democratic Party’s fight for party leadership. Kiros, who worked as a barista while pursuing a doctorate in public policy after returning to Colorado, structured his congressional bid around generational change. She made affordability and her opposition to U.S. support for Israel central themes of her campaign, while portraying DeGette as beholden to corporate donors. DeGette criticized the political newcomer for her lack of experience, arguing that “now is not the time to gamble and send someone with no experience to Washington.”
“I think people were really eager to see someone younger, who has lived the experience of the economy that we’re going through now, of the climate crisis that we’re going to have to deal with the consequences of,” Kiros said.
As the campaign gained momentum, Kiros, who interrupted her doctoral studies, said she had to cut back her hours as a barista and stay with a friend who charged her below-market rent.
“It’s incredibly difficult for young people to run campaigns at any level,” Kiros said. “The way we organize our electoral system in this country is extremely prohibitive for young people, for the working class.”
Padora, the former congressional candidate, said he was “not at all surprised by his rise in national politics,” saying Kiros was able to exploit “the deep frustration and contempt many Americans feel toward an out-of-touch political establishment.”
“Melat’s political rise demonstrates that the next generation does not need the blessing, support or permission of an out-of-touch party to hold public office,” Padora said in an email to CBS News.
According to a study by the Future Caucus, 117 Gen Z candidates ran for Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. The report found that Gen Z candidates were less likely to make it to the general election than other age groups, with only 24 candidates appearing on the November ballot.
Under the Constitution, most members of Generation Z are ineligible for Congress. The minimum age to sit in the Chamber is 25 years. In the Senate, it is 30 years.
Kiros said members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus also helped her and other new, young members navigate the transition to Washington so they could hit the ground running.
“It’s as simple as making sure you live close enough to the Capitol that you can get there as quickly as possible,” Kiros said. “No one really tells you any of this. You’re just expected to figure it out for yourself. But the outgoing progressive members have been really, really intentional about making sure we’re as prepared as possible, so we’re not spending as much time fitting in and learning the ropes.”
Next January, Kiros wants Democrats to focus on reversing cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that were included in Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. His other policy goals include ending military aid to Israel, abolishing immigration and customs enforcement, and laying the groundwork for Medicare for All, universal child care and senior care.
With his victory, Kiros said voters made it clear they want their elected officials to champion “bold issues” to solve the affordability crisis.
“Everything we’ve proposed before is simply not enough,” she said. “And for us to keep that momentum going, we’re going to have to deliver something truly meaningful and tangible to the American people.”
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