CO Gov Nominee Weiser Criticizes DSA Winner Kiros Over Boulder Firebombing Comments

Colorado Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser has publicly criticized Melat Kiros, the democratic socialist who recently won the Democratic nomination for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. Weiser stated he is “concerned” that Kiros refused to describe the deadly June 2025 firebombing of a pro-Israel rally in Boulder as an act of antisemitism, despite perpetrator Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s conviction for murder and hate crimes. Weiser, who is Jewish, argued that acknowledging the attack as antisemitic is non-negotiable, likening the stance to “Jewish Lives Matter” in the same vein as “Black Lives Matter.”

Kiros, who ousted longtime incumbent Diana DeGette, argued she did not know the perpetrator’s motivations and emphasized that violence is never the answer. However, she also asserted that Israeli actions in the Middle East “put Jewish people in great danger,” framing rising antisemitism as a consequence of foreign policy rather than isolated hate. Kiros has previously described both the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 9/11 terror attacks as “inevitable” outcomes of U.S. and Israeli military presence in the region. Weiser has indicated he intends to discuss these views with Kiros directly, highlighting a growing ideological divide within the Democratic Party between mainstream moderates and the rising far-left faction.