In a nightclub in Denver, everyone's attention turns to a petite young woman. Melat Kiros, almost 30 years old, the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, wants to be in the US Congress; she is here to promote herself. Like Zoran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, the lawyer Kiros is a democratic socialist.
In dim lighting, she speaks forcefully about "working families," the "oligarchy," and the "fascism" that is spreading around the world. She no longer dwells on US President Donald Trump.
She believes the system is broken and paints a positive vision of international cooperation to get climate change and artificial intelligence under control. She demands more taxes for the rich and, above all, health insurance for everyone.
The great anger
A few days later: About 30 poll workers gather in La Raza Park in Denver to fan out and canvass for Kiros at doorsteps. They have already raided tens of thousands of households. âTalk to your neighbors about a better world that we are fighting for,â Kiros shouts into the megaphone and is met with cheers. The front doors in District 1 often remain locked.
Young and urban voters in particular feel addressed by their anger, which they want to transform into something productive. âAnger is important and has led to all the changes in this country,â says Kiros. "If something big changes for the masses, it will be because we have shown our anger at the system."
The socialist, as she calls herself, obviously meets the attitude towards life of young, left-leaning US voters.
Winning back the Latinos
24 percent of the population in Colorado is Latino, making the state one of the highest in the United States. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump was able to increase his share of the vote among these voters, while the Democrats lost around ten percent.
But now it's different. Not just because of the high prices. The immigration agency ICE and Trump's deportation policy have unsettled even those of them who have long had an American passport. The Democrats are now doing everything they can to win their votes.
Convince people with their life story - and don't offend them
Manny Rutinel, a man of the middle, just in his early 30s, with roots in the Dominican Republic, should succeed in constituency 8. In a parking lot he speaks to his supporters, who will campaign for him a little later. Immigrants in particular can identify with his life story. "I am the son of a single mother. I remember how I used to donate blood more than a hundred times so that I could pay the rent at the end of the month. The scar remains on my arm."
During high school, Rutinel worked at McDonalds and later studied law at the elite Yale University. Like the epitome of the âAmerican Dream,â he now stands in front of his supporters in a casual shirt. He is said to have a good chance of defeating his Republican opponent - he just must not offend politically.
If Rutinel wrests this district from Republicans, it could bring Democrats closer to a majority in the House of Representatives. He doesn't want any cuts in publicly funded health insurance or the war against Iran; gasoline has to become cheaper. People shouldn't have it so difficult. His manager is already pushing him away from the ARD microphone to the next event.
Door to door for Rutinel
Commerce City is a district where many Latinos live and Rutinel voters. Rosa moves cautiously, almost uncertainly, from door to door. She hears that there are people in the house. "They're afraid it could be ICE," she says. âThatâs why a lot of people donât open.â
She has been traveling for Rutinel for a few days now. Who did she vote for last? Rosa looks down briefly. "I can't choose." She looks embarrassed. She doesn't have an American passport - but she can't be deported at the moment.
The question is why she does all this even though she can't vote. Rosa only briefly agrees. She earns some money as a poll worker for Rutinel. But she hopes the election will improve things for Latinos. She takes the risk of putting herself in danger of ICE becoming aware of her.
The Establishment
Kiros on the left, Rutinel in the middle, Eileen Laubacher could be at the other end of the political scale. At 58 years old and with five children, she embodies a different generation. Above all, she must appear serious and solid in contrast to her political opponent Lauren Boebert in order to be successful in this Republican constituency.
Boebert is a MAGA supporter who gained attention through headlines in the tabloid press. Laubacher, on the other hand, worked his way up in the Navy for 34 years. She most recently served with the rank of admiral. Until recently she was a Republican.
At a meeting with voters in suburban Denver, a newly fired official asks her why she switched parties. "It's important to me not to go into debt, have a strong defense and personal freedoms. I stood behind George W. Bush. I support abortion rights and find the demonization of the LGBT people unworthy."
She doesn't want health insurance for everyone - her voters fear left-wing democrats like Kiros. She considers further impeachment proceedings against Trump to be a âwaste of time.â Securing the borders is important. "We shouldn't have an open border policy. I was an intelligence officer in the military for 34 years. There are real threats coming across our border."
The reddest constituency in the entire country
Since 1970, Democrats have only managed to win this District 4 once. "It's the reddest district in the entire state," says Laubacher, referring to the Republican party color.
She received over 13 million in donations and aid from her supporters for her election campaign. When asked who supports her, she explains that they are regular people who pay small amounts, veterans and families.
On the penultimate Sunday before the election, she is out in the rural part of her constituency to campaign for herself. It's nine o'clock and she's standing on the edge of a sports field in Fort Morgan. There is enough of one thing here: space. But it doesn't need that. Voters don't show up, only three poll workers.
Laubacher soon gets back in the car and drives 70 kilometers further to the next meeting in Sterling. The same sober emptiness awaits them. Two or three veterans stand by her and want to campaign for her at the front doors. How close is the race? "Very close. It's a neck-and-neck race." She smiles and sets off again.
Hope and anger
Hope for change in Colorado cannot be overlooked among the Democratic campaigns and the three candidates. Does the difference in positions strengthen the Democrats or weaken them?
Political scientist Robert Preuhs from the Metropolitan State University of Denver sees the diversity of positions as an opportunity: "The Republicans have always been more united than the Democrats. The goal must be to win seats. And the greater the diversity of positions, the more seats they get."
What worries him more is what happens if the Democrats are ahead and the president questions the result.
