WASHINGTON: The anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party has carried a surge of US primary victories from New York to Colorado, delivering a stinging rebuke to party leaders seen as too cautious, too corporate and too tied to Washington.
In its latest triumph, Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old former attorney and part-time barista, stunned one of the party’s longest-serving lawmakers Tuesday, defeating Diana DeGette in a Denver-based House district.
The upset came a week after left-wing challengers backed by Democratic Socialist groups scored a string of victories in New York City, including against sitting members of Congress.
Together, the results suggest that what some Democrats had dismissed as a New York-specific revolt may be spreading, fueled by anger over corporate money, generational stagnation and a party establishment many younger voters believe has failed to confront President Donald Trump.
For Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and elder statesman of the American left, the Colorado result showed a broader political movement against the establishment.
