Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros speaks after winning the Democratic nomination during a primary election night watch party at The Broadway, on June 30, 2026, in Denver. [Rebecca Slezak/AP]
A deep, anti-systemic current is gathering momentum in the United States. This time around, it isn’t flowing to the right, as was the case with Donald Trump’s election, but to the left. The signs that something of this kind was brewing were certainly there, as the middle-class became increasingly squeezed by rising prices and lost confidence in the current president.
The trend is intense within the Democratic Party. Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old newcomer to the party who describes herself as a “socialist,” managed to win the primary election in Denver for the Democratic nomination, defeating a congresswoman in her 15th term. Kiros has made no secret of her very left-wing views – by American standards at least – and is widely known for her sharp criticism of Israel and its actions in Gaza. In New York, too, three left-wing candidates won the primaries against seasoned, traditional Democrats. Taken together with the election of a socialist mayor in the metropolis of capitalism, New York City, the anti-systemic current seems to be gaining the upper hand in the Democratic Party.
