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Candidates › CO-01 race › 2025–2026
Melat Kiros
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, CO-01
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Colorado US House 1
- Top priorities
- "I'm running for Congress to deliver change for Denver."
- healthcare is a Human right
- safety is a Human right
- DIGNITY is a Human right
- SUPPORT is a Human right
- Money
- $1.3M raised, $1.2M spent, $75.7K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 43% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 38% from Colorado · largest committee giver JUSTICE DEMOCRATS PAC, $5K
- Outside groups
- $467.4K supporting, $675K opposing Kiros
- Backed by
- Senator Bernie Sanders · Chris Rabb · Pattie Gonia and 57 more. As the campaign lists them
27 priorities from kirosforco.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
"Establishment Democrats are beholden to the same billionaires who keep our prices high, burn our planet, and profit from a genocide. We can change that. It starts by changing who we send to Congress. As the only candidate rejecting all corporate PAC money, I'll always stand for Medicare for All, Housing First, Universal Childcare, and an Arms Embargo."
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Access to healthcare is directly linked to longer life expectancy, better mental health, and greater economic productivity. Yet over 27 million Americans remain uninsured, and medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. No one should suffer or go bankrupt because they can’t afford healthcare. It's time we pass Medicare for All.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Heading as listed on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading) · “Medicare for All” on kirosforco.com ↗ (opens kirosforco.com at this heading)
At $30 billion, our tax dollars have funded what nearly every human rights organization in the world, including the United Nations, has called a genocide in Palestine. Today, 75% of Democrats want to end all military aid to Israel, but our representatives aren't listening. We deserve leaders who stand up for human rights and listen to their constituents.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Heading as listed on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading) · “End All Wars” on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading)
We must Abolish ICE. Masked agents kidnapping innocent people off the streets and disappearing them into ICE facilities does not make us safer or protect American jobs. We need to hold the politicians who peddle these lies accountable. The agency is operating as a terror apparatus targeting immigrant families, asylum seekers, and long-rooted community members. We need to replace it with a humane, accountable immigration system focused on genuine public safety — not political theater.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Heading as listed on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading) · “Abolish I.C.E.” on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading)
Opportunity means nothing without reliable childcare, yet parents today face impossible choices: pay the equivalent of a second rent, cut back on work, or rely on a patchwork of favors. Families shouldn’t have to depend on luck to get through the week. Universal childcare would ensure every child has a safe place to grow and everyone has freedom to plan their future.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Heading as listed on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading) · “Universal Child + Eldercare” on kirosforco.com/priorities-2 ↗ (opens kirosforco.com/priorities-2 at this heading)
Housing is the foundation every person needs to live with dignity and stability, yet too many Americans are being pushed out, priced out, or left out entirely. We can't fix this crisis with the same failed approaches. We need a bold, housing-first strategy that treats homelessness as a public health issue, not a criminal one. That means:
- Investing in wraparound services for mental illness and addiction,
- Building long-term housing for all
- Federally subsidizing 30% of all new housing developments to ensure affordable, dignified housing is truly accessible.
We also need to go further. The private market has proven it cannot house everyone, which is why I support the development of publicly-owned, mixed-income social housing that is insulated from market speculation, and repealing the Faircloth Amendment, the federal law that has blocked the country from expanding its public housing stock for decades. Community land trusts, expanded rental assistance for low-income tenants, and cracking down on corporate landlords and private equity speculators engaged in price-fixing are all part of getting Denverites housed with dignity.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Healthcare isn’t just about surviving illness, it’s about having the freedom to live a full and healthy life without the fear of going bankrupt because you got sick. Medicare for All is long overdue. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the most effective, efficient, and economical proposal we have. We spend nearly twice as much as other wealthy countries on healthcare for worse outcomes and still leave 27 million uninsured. With Medicare for All, every American could save thousands per year while getting better, more reliable care.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
In the wealthiest country in the world, over 44 million people struggle with hunger, and our food system is increasingly controlled by monopolistic corporations that prioritize profits over public health. The United States has one of the most permissive food regulatory environments in the developed world, and we’re paying for it with our health.
We need to reinvest in the FDA and USDA, free them from corporate capture, ban the additives that other nations have long since restricted, strengthen regulations on labeling and marketing (especially to children) and build a food system that prioritizes nourishment over profit.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
Education is the bedrock of a thriving democracy and a just society — not just economically, but politically. An informed, educated electorate is a powerful check on concentrated power. When people understand history, how government works, how money moves through politics, and how to think critically about the information they receive, they are harder to manipulate, harder to suppress, and harder to ignore. That is exactly why public education has been under sustained attack by the same forces that benefit from a less informed citizenry.
From preschool through college, every child deserves free, high-quality public education regardless of their zip code. Decades of disinvestment, privatization, and over-testing have hollowed out our schools, burnt out our teachers, and turned our education system into another corporate for-profit failure. We need to invest in public schools, pay teachers a living wage, and fully fund early childhood education.
We also need to make public college and trade school tuition-free. Today, the average student borrower graduates with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, which shapes every subsequent decision they make about where to live, whether to start a family, whether to take a risk and start a business or pursue a calling that doesn't pay well. That debt is not just a personal burden; it is a political one. It keeps young people from fully participating in civic life, from running for office, from organizing in their communities. We were once the world leader in public education because we believed that it was about the pursuit of knowledge and progress, not profit. By reinvesting in education at every level, we give every child the chance to follow their curiosity, grow their skills, and become the kind of engaged, empowered citizen that a real democracy requires.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
We talk about opportunity in this country, but without a reliable caregiving infrastructure, opportunity is out of reach for too many working families. Today, parents are forced into impossible choices: pay a second mortgage for childcare, cut back on work, or rely on a patchwork of favors and luck. I grew up surrounded by a community that stepped in when my parents were stretched thin, but families shouldn't have to depend on chance to make it through the week. Right now, the message to parents is: contribute to the economy, but don't expect any support raising the next generation. Universal childcare flips that script by treating caregiving as essential infrastructure so every child has a safe place to learn and grow, and every parent has the freedom to work, plan, and thrive.
The same principle extends to our elders. Too many families are forced to choose between their own careers and caring for aging parents, while seniors are warehoused in for-profit facilities that prioritize shareholder returns over dignity. We need federally supported elder care that keeps seniors in their communities, supports family caregivers, and ensures that aging in America is treated as a public responsibility — not a profit opportunity.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
We cannot have a conversation about affordability without confronting who has been hoarding the gains. Over the last several decades, roughly $79 trillion has been transferred from working people to the wealthiest Americans through a rigged tax code.
I support an Ultra-Millionaire Tax on net worth above $50 million, closing the carried-interest loophole, and taxing the margin loans that billionaires use to avoid paying capital gains entirely. The ultra-wealthy regularly borrow against their stock to fund their lifestyles while never triggering a taxable event and contributing nothing to the public. The top income tax rate should be restored to reflect what this country looked like when we actually built things together. The corporate tax rate should be raised back above 50%. And companies where the CEO earns hundreds of times what their median worker makes should be taxed accordingly.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2
A city that works for everyone is a city where you don't need a car to get to work, school, or a doctor's appointment. Denver has grown faster than its public transit infrastructure, leaving too many residents, especially low-income Denverites and communities of color, without reliable options. I support robust federal investment in public transit: expanding light rail and bus rapid transit, making fares affordable, and modernizing our transit systems as part of our broader climate infrastructure. Transit is not a luxury. It is the circulatory system of an affordable city.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · kirosforco.com/priorities-2