Quote:

---

Last month, Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette sat next to her challengers and explained why she deserved a 16th term in Washington.

“Who is going to be the best choice to stand up to Donald Trump and the real threat he poses to our democracy?” DeGette asked at the Denver Press Club. “The answer is clear. I fought against Donald Trump as an impeachment manager in his first term.”

On Tuesday night, Denver voters rejected that pitch — as loudly as possible. Melat Kiros, a young attorney who lost her job after defending student Gaza protesters, defeated DeGette by double digits. Three Democratic incumbents have now lost to progressive challengers as midterms season kicks into high gear. The liberal group Justice Democrats, reeling after two left-wing “squad” members lost in 2024, is celebrating its best cycle ever, with more targets on the board next month.

Primary season is more than halfway over, after 31 states and the District of Columbia picked their nominees. There’s a three-week pause before intra-party contests start again with Arizona. That means it’s a good time to take stock of what’s happening.

Democrats don’t care if you resisted Trump and lost. DeGette went down one week after Rep. Dan Goldman, D-NY, whose role as an impeachment counsel during Trump’s first term was central to his campaign. A few weeks earlier, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who’d fought to disqualify Trump as a presidential candidate over his actions on Jan. 6, came fourth in a five-way race for governor. And shortly before that, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas — the first Democrat to introduce Trump impeachment resolutions during both of the president’s terms — lost his newly gerrymandered seat to Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas.

Impeachment wasn’t the issue in those races. But it was striking how little Democratic primary voters cared about a political tool that had twice been wielded against Trump.

---