Boebert links Democratic socialist candidates to “true socialism,” points to Colorado primary upset

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert said Democrats are “taking out their own” by supporting democratic socialist candidates, and she warned that party leadership is moving toward what she described as “true socialism, which inevitably will be communism.” Boebert made the remarks in an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday evening, according to The Hill.

Boebert’s comments tied her broader criticism to results in at least one high-profile contest: Colorado’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary. In that race, Boebert referenced the win by Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old candidate described as a democratic socialist, over incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette.

The Hill reported that Boebert told Cuomo that Kiros “wants socialism” and that the Colorado Republican and other challengers are running against what Boebert characterized as the Democratic Party’s direction. Boebert also said the next Congress would “push harder than ever for these things,” as reported by The Hill.

Separate reporting described Kiros as having defeated DeGette for a 16th term bid in the House seat that DeGette has held since 1997. Mother Jones reported that, with more than 90 percent of votes counted, Kiros led DeGette 51-42 in the Democratic primary, and that the race was viewed as a test of the party’s progressive wing and its relationship to long-serving incumbents.

Boebert’s interview also included reference to Kiros’s political ecosystem. The Hill reported that Kiros was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and by the Democratic Socialists of America, and that Sanders celebrated her primary win. The Hill also noted criticism of Kiros related to views on Israel.

The Hill’s account framed Boebert’s position as part of a wider Republican argument about Democratic primary dynamics. Boebert contrasted candidates she says represent socialism with “pretend-to-be-normal Democrats,” as reported, and used her own campaign context in Colorado to argue that voters are choosing between different governing priorities within the Democratic coalition.

As of publication, the episode described by The Hill and Mother Jones centers on candidate positioning and intra-party competition rather than a formal action by the federal government. The next step in the Colorado 1st District contest would be the general election between the district’s Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee resulting from the primary, unless additional legal or administrative developments alter the timeline.