# A defense of democratic socialism from House candidate Melat Kiros

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/firing-line-with-margaret-hoover-3927052/a-defense-of-democratic-socialism-from-house-candidate-melat-kiros
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/firing-line-with-margaret-hoover-3927052/a-defense-of-democratic-socialism-from-house-candidate-melat-kiros.md
Podcast: [Firing Line with Margaret Hoover](https://stenobird.com/podcast/firing-line-with-margaret-hoover-3927052)
Published: 2026-08-01T00:52:15+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firing-line/episodes/A-defense-of-democratic-socialism-from-House-candidate-Melat-Kiros-e3mqj2p
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/59ca458c/podcast/play/123603481/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-1%2Fd63a3f1b-bd26-b9d7-a7c1-16a7f2814844.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/firing-line-with-margaret-hoover-3927052/episodes/a-defense-of-democratic-socialism-from-house-candidate-melat-kiros
Duration seconds: 3126

## Resource

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros sits down with Margaret Hoover in Denver to discuss her House race, what democratic socialism means to her, and explains her criticism of Israel. Kiros, who defeated a 15-term incumbent in a Democratic primary, reflects on why democratic socialism is resonating with voters across the country and responds to “red scare tactics” from Republicans heading into the midterms. She explains where her views differ from the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America and confronts concerns raised by moderate Democrats about far left candidates and policies. Kiros, who has drawn controversy over her stance on Israel and antisemitism, details her perspective on the Middle East, including her support for a one-state solution. She also defends calls to cut the Pentagon budget, even as she opposes those who want to defund the Department of Defense entirely. Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, The Meadowlark Foundation, The Philip I Kent Foundation, Anne & Edward Lamont, and Jared Stone.

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## Transcript

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