US Democrats debate the party's direction — ABC News Australia
In the United States, democratic socialist Melat Kiros is running for Congress from a Democratic-safe district in Denver, Colorado, after winning the primary. Her campaign has become one manifestation of the strengthening progressive wing of the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections in November, ABC News Australia reports.
Kiross, 29, who was born in Ethiopia, could become the first Generation Z woman elected to the US Congress. In the primary, she removed from the Democratic ballot an incumbent representative who had held office for nearly three decades. Kiros says that traditional approaches by both parties have not solved Americans' problems.
Kiross's position
Kiros supports a complete embargo on arms supplies to Israel over the war in Gaza, a substantial reduction in defence spending, and directing funds toward universal healthcare, childcare and expanded public housing. Criticism of the Israeli government's actions during the war in Gaza is one of the central themes of her campaign.
Before entering politics, Kiros worked as a corporate lawyer, but she was fired. In 2023, she published an open letter criticising support for Israel expressed by a number of US law firms, including her employer at the time, after the Hamas attacks. In the letter, Kiros condemned antisemitism but said it should not be equated with the geopolitical question of Israel's legitimacy. She was asked to remove the text, but refused.
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Dispute within the Democratic Party
Kiros is among the candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). DSA policies include raising taxes on wealthy people and abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to a CBS-YouGov poll, 71% of respondents who identified themselves as liberal voters view socialism positively.
At the same time, the centrist Democratic group Third Way has launched a $15 million campaign against democratic socialism within the party. Its representative Jim Kessler said Democrats should move toward the centre because, in his view, candidates from the far left will not be able to win general elections. A New York Times/Siena poll this month showed that about half of Americans view socialism negatively.
US President Donald Trump is also attacking the Democrats' left wing, calling democratic socialists “communists.” Republicans seek to portray them as a threat to the economy and the country ahead of elections in which they risk losing control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
