Colorado candidate Melat Kiros says socialism aligns with American values

Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros, running for a House seat in Colorado, told PBS’s Firing Line with Margaret Hoover that socialism has delivered "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the United States. She argued that social safety programs, fair‑labor laws and worker participation in workplace decisions are evidence that socialist policies have advanced the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, contrasting them with what she described as the monopolistic tendencies of unfettered capitalism.

In a separate opinion piece, a letter to the editor warned that socialism is antithetical to the American way, citing state‑run economies such as North Korea, China, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela as examples of collective ownership and central planning that suppress individual liberty.

Both pieces reflect an ongoing debate over the role of socialist ideas in U.S. politics ahead of upcoming elections.