{"id":2470,"date":"2026-07-10T12:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2470"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:04:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:04:01","slug":"independent-candidate-hoping-to-take-on-democrat-melat-kiros-turns-in-signatures-for-denver-congressional-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2470","title":{"rendered":"Independent candidate hoping to take on Democrat Melat Kiros turns in signatures for Denver congressional seat"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div><strong>Getting your Trinity Audio player ready&#8230;<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Melat Kiros, who earned the Democratic nomination to run for the seat long occupied by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, may soon face a new opponent in the run-up to November.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2468\">Today in History: July 10, Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior blown up by French agents<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Shimon Blau, a pain management physician and Israel supporter, on Thursday turned in signatures required to get on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate \u2014 and he did so just an hour before the deadline after a rush to collect signatures this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Blau turned in petitions at 4 p.m.,\u201d Colorado Secretary of State\u2019s Office spokesman Jack Todd said Thursday. \u201cI cannot speak to how many signatures Dr. Blau turned in, or whether his petition submission will ultimately be deemed sufficient or insufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blau must submit 1,500 valid voter signatures from the 1st Congressional District, which for the most part covers Denver, to make the November ballot. Election officials have until July 30 to review petitions for unaffiliated candidates, Todd said.<\/p>\n<p>Kiros, who defeated the 15-term DeGette in the June 30 primary, also faces Republican Christy Peterson, who according to Federal Election Commission records had raised no money for the race through the end of March. She didn\u2019t file a more recent campaign finance report.<\/p>\n<p>Blau, who is Jewish, launched his long-shot congressional bid on Sunday, writing on Facebook that he was \u201csaddened and alarmed\u201d by Kiros\u2019 victory a few days earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2466\">$110 million trash facility opens in Aurora ahead of Colorado\u2019s statewide recycling expansion<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, has been criticized for comments she made\u00a0about 9\/11, Israel\u2019s legitimacy as a nation, and the deadly firebombing attack on Jews and others demonstrating in Boulder last year \u2014 an act she refused to call antisemitic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am particularly concerned by what I view as Ms. Kiros\u2019s anti-Semitic rhetoric and her refusal to meet with leaders of Denver\u2019s Jewish community to address their concerns,\u201d Blau wrote in his launch announcement.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Both Blau and Peterson may face a tough time trying to beat Kiros this fall, given Denver\u2019s heavily Democratic skew.<\/p>\n<p><em>Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2464\">Bear-scavenged human remains found in Colorado national forest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Shimon Blau turned in signatures Thursday seeking a spot as an unaffiliated candidate on the November ballot to take on Democratic nominee Melat Kiros for Congress in Denver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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