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A Democratic Socialist candidate seeking the Democratic nomination for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District is drawing attention for comments on U.S. foreign policy, healthcare, housing, taxes, and other issues ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, as reported by The Post Millennial.

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Ethiopian-born Democratic Socialist, discussed her platform during a recent interview, where she advocated for Medicare for All, federally funded social housing, a national high-speed rail system, and changes to the federal tax code. She also addressed questions about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and U.S. foreign policy.

The race comes after several Democratic Socialist candidates secured primary victories in New York City during June, bringing renewed attention to the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America within Democratic politics.

TODAY: Melat Kiros has a 79% chance to win the CO-01 Democratic primary pic.twitter.com/WYUjHsEi3I

— Kalshi Politics (@KalshiPolitics) June 30, 2026

During the interview, Kiros was asked whether she believed “that the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America were the inevitable consequence of American foreign policy,” with the interviewer noting that she had previously described the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as “an inevitable consequence for Israel based on its action.”

Kiros responded, “Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East. That forced people to believe that another act of violence was the only response, and again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to getting rid of those conditions.”

The interviewer also asked how she would appeal to Democratic primary voters who do not identify as socialists.

Kiros argued that elements of socialism already exist in the United States through taxpayer-funded institutions.

“What I’m calling for is the same security that we have in those institutions to be in our healthcare, to be in our access to nutritional food, to be in making sure that we have universal child care and universal elder care,” she said.

She also discussed the impact artificial intelligence could have on employment, saying the country is moving toward an era in which AI will affect workers.

“We need to make sure that people’s basic needs are protected, and that’s only through programs that would be socialist,” Kiros said.

Among her policy proposals, Kiros called for “housing-first measures” that would establish “social housing” and for the federal government to finance construction of a nationwide high-speed rail system.

Healthcare was another major focus of the interview.

Kiros said she believes the Democratic Party’s most achievable goal over the next several years is passing “Medicare for all.”

“I sincerely believe that the last thing Democrats did to meaningfully help working families was Obamacare,” she said, describing it as “a band-aid for a system that has now still hemorrhaging.”

She added, “Medicare for all is something that would meaningfully make real relief for working families in this country,” expressing hope that Democrats would approve a universal healthcare package if they regain unified control of the federal government.

Kiros also defended a single-payer healthcare system.

“Single payer actually pays for itself,” she said.

“I think there’s a misconception that the health care is free, and that’s not what’s happening.”

She continued, “You’re just cutting out the middlemen that are frankly just making a profit off of people being sick, and when you have Medicare being the most efficient health insurance program in the country compared to all of the other private health insurance companies, this is the most common sense thing to do.”

Kiros further claimed that “every other developed wealthy nation in the country” has adopted such a system and said it is estimated to save “thousands of dollars for taxpayers and to save $2 trillion for the government over 10 years.”

In addition to healthcare, Kiros proposed revising the federal tax code, arguing that “ultra billionaires and trillionaires” are not paying “their fair share.”

She said the federal poverty line should account for housing and health insurance costs in addition to food expenses, advocated raising the federal minimum wage to approximately $21 per hour, and called for creating a new tax bracket for the “ultra-wealthy.”

Melat Kiras says federal min wage should be $21/hour and the poverty index needs to be updated to account for the cost of health insurance, child care and housing. pic.twitter.com/nSnIHl2194

— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) June 29, 2026

The interview also included questions about her personal financial circumstances.

Kiros discussed her experiences as a renter in Denver and said she has struggled to stretch her paycheck.

The interviewer challenged that characterization, stating, “knowing financial struggle by choice. You were a corporate attorney who’s going to get a PhD.

I have no doubt that you’re having trouble making ends meet when you step out of that world, but you kind of chose to step out of that world.”

Kiros replied that it was a “fair assessment,” but said, “I did grow up with the same struggle,” explaining that she immigrated to the United States as a baby and watched her parents work multiple jobs.

She also referenced her previous employment at the law firm Sidley Austin.

“After getting fired from that law firm, it was definitely clear that no other law firm of that caliber was going to hire me either, and I did make the choice to go to a PhD program to do the work that actually mattered to me,” she said.

Kiros was dismissed from Sidley Austin in 2023, shortly after the October 7 attack, after publishing a letter on Medium criticizing the firm’s decision to sign an open letter urging law school deans to address antisemitism on their campuses.