Melat Kiros

Melat Kiros' career experience includes working as a lawyer. Kiros earned a bachelor's degree from Washington College in 2018 and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2022.[2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Melat Kiros is an attorney, a PhD student, and a barista. She immigrated to Denver, Colorado from Tigray, Ethiopia in 1998 with her family. She graduated from Washington College with bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Economics. She earned her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Get big money out of politics by passing campaign finance reform, lobbying reform, and congressional term limits.Strengthen our democracy by expanding voting rights, consolidating our elections into one day, and shortening the election cycle.Codify our basic needs (housing, healthcare, nutritional food, and public education) to ensure every American has the foundation necessary to not only get by, but to thrive.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm interested in policies that expand our freedoms. This includes the freedom to choose what we do for work, the freedom to travel freely, and the freedom to live and grow old with dignity. That starts with meeting our most basic needs (housing, healthcare, nutritional food, and public education). I'm also very concerned about the existential crises we face with climate change and AI. I don't believe we can legislate effectively on any of these issues without removing the power and influence of money in politics, which is why it is my primary policy concern.

Campaign websiteKiros' campaign website stated the following:I'm running for Congress to deliver change for Denver.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.I'll always stand for Medicare for All, Housing First, Universal Childcare, and an Arms Embargo.Putting Working Families FirstIt's a simple truth: our tax dollars should go towards supporting working families. That means fighting for Medicare for All, housing first, universal childcare, and an arms embargo.HousingSafe, stable housing is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health, educational attainment, and economic mobility. Over 770,000 people experience homelessness on any given night in the U.S. while we sit idly by with the resources to end it ten-fold. When people have a place to call home, everything else becomes possible, it's time we prioritize housing as a basic human right.HealthcareAccess 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.Universal ChildcareOpportunity 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 every parent has the freedom to work and plan for the future.Arms EmbargoAt $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, not their wealthy donors.Melat On The IssuesHousingHousing 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, and federally subsidizing 30% of all new housing developments to ensure affordable, dignified housing is truly accessible.HealthcareHealthcare 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.Universal ChildcareWe talk about opportunity in this country, but without reliable childcare, 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.Money in PoliticsWe can’t call ourselves a democracy when wealth speaks louder than the people, which is why we have to take back the power of influence by passing term limits, creating a national donor-matching program, banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, and outlawing stock trading while in office. Leaders who remain in Washington for decades often leave us with stale ideas and policymaking that puts special interests ahead of everyday people, and term limits would bring in new energy, restore accountability, and refocus government on those it serves. Likewise, too many lawmakers leave office only to cash in as lobbyists for the same industries they once oversaw, so a five-year ban on any lobbying work would help ensure public service is about serving the public, not securing a lucrative payday. And because elected officials should work for the people rather than profit from insider information, banning them from owning or trading individual stocks would eliminate a clear conflict of interest and help ensure decisions are made for the public good instead of personal gain.Peace, Not WarTrue leadership means working for peace, not preparing for endless war. The United States has spent over $8 trillion on war since 2001, often with little accountability and devastating consequences. We've also failed to recognize and prevent the devastation of genocidal wars claiming the lives of millions from Palestine and Sudan to the Congo and Tigray. It's time to reimagine our global role: not as a militarized empire, but as a champion of diplomacy, human rights, and peacebuilding. We need to end the blank checks for endless war and reallocate that funding towards diplomacy abroad and housing, education, and healthcare here at home. Nutritious FoodIn 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. Agencies like the FDA and USDA have been systematically underfunded and undermined by industry influence. We need to reinvest in these institutions, free them from corporate capture, and enforce stronger regulations on labeling, food safety, and marketing, especially to children. A just food system focuses on feeding the people, not turning a profit.EducationEducation is the bedrock of a thriving democracy and a just society. 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 and burnt out our teachers. We need to invest in public schools, pay teachers a living wage, and fully fund early childhood education and public colleges. 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 and meeting our basic needs, we can give every child the chance to follow their curiosity, grow their skills, and help build a future defined by creativity and innovation.ClimateNo generation has faced an existential crisis as urgent and all-encompassing as climate change. The science is undeniable: we are out of time. Wildfires, floods, and extreme heat are already devastating communities across the country. We need to act now not only to mitigate future damage but to build resilience where disaster has already struck. That means fully funding renewable energy development, transitioning to a zero-emissions energy grid, modernizing our public transit systems, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure. It also means holding polluters accountable and ending fossil fuel subsidies. It's time we take meaningful action on protecting the only planet we'll ever call home.Free MarketA truly free market is one where every person has the freedom to choose their own path including where they live, how they work, and how they thrive, without being held hostage by poverty, illness, or corporate monopolies. That freedom begins with meeting people’s basic needs and then defending the integrity of competition and innovation by breaking up monopolies and ensuring small businesses and entrepreneurs have a level playing field. When we center people and ensure everyone has a fair shot, we unlock the full potential of a market powered by our best and our brightest.Democratizing AIArtificial Intelligence has already begun to revolutionize every aspect of our lives, just like electricity did a century ago. We can't afford to let the development of this technology continue without the input of everyday Americans. AI already touches healthcare, education, jobs, and even justice. If we democratize it and ensure its development is transparent, equitable, and publicly accountable, we can unlock its potential to solve massive problems. That means open access research, worker protections against automation, and strong oversight to prevent discrimination, exploitation, and surveillance. AI is built on generations of human knowledge and creativity. It’s only right that it should be developed to serve the public good.ImmigrationImmigration is a cornerstone of our national identity. The men and women who leave everything behind to seek a better life here in America embody the spirit of courage and resilience that our founders once had. But instead of honoring that, politicians have used them as pawns and scapegoats to distract from their policies that have failed everyday people. 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 and put an end to these ICE raids. It’s time we build an immigration system grounded in dignity and justice by creating accessible pathways to citizenship, ending inhumane detention practices, and rejecting cruel political stunts that dehumanize families. We are greater because of immigrants, not in spite of them.Reproductive RightsReproductive rights are fundamental human rights and they’ve been under attack for decades, and now those attacks are turning into bans. It’s not enough to talk about protecting choice, we need to guarantee it. That means codifying the right to abortion in federal law and protecting access to the full spectrum of reproductive care: from contraception to maternal health to gender-affirming services. No one should have their body, their future, or their freedom controlled by politicians. It’s time we make reproductive freedom a constitutional right.LGBTQIA+ RightsEveryone deserves the freedom to love who they love and live as their authentic selves. The fight for LGBTQIA+ rights is far from over, especially as state legislatures across the country continue to target trans youth and roll back protections. These attacks aren't about protecting children or preserving fairness, they are about control, fear, and distraction from the failures of politicians in addressing working-class people's needs. We need to pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQIA+ individuals from discrimination in schools, workplaces, and public life. Equality under the law is not negotiable, and dignity is not up for debate.Public SafetyPublic safety isn’t just the absence of crime, it’s the presence of opportunity, stability, and community. We cannot arrest our way out of poverty or criminalize mental illness. A holistic approach to public safety needs includes access to housing, mental healthcare, good jobs, and strong schools. This also includes investing in violence prevention, community-based emergency response teams, and restorative justice programs. The data has shown over, and over, and over again, that safety grows in well-resourced communities, not over-policed ones. When we protect people’s basic needs and uphold their dignity, everyone is safer.— Melat Kiros' campaign website (April 24, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.