Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Colorado's 1st District

5 candidates on the ballot — an open seat, with no incumbent running.1

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Melat Kiros
Democratic Party · Open seat
Christy Peterson
Republican Party · Open seat
Critter Milton
Unity Party · Open seat
Chad Humphrey
Libertarian Party · Open seat
Shimon Blau
Unaffiliated · Open seat

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Melat KirosChristy PetersonCritter MiltonChad HumphreyShimon Blau
Party on the ballotDemocratic Party1Republican Party1Unity Party1Libertarian Party1Unaffiliated1
StatusOpen seatOpen seatOpen seatOpen seatOpen seat
Raised$1,308,528 through October 14, 20262$9,446 through October 14, 20263Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked$204,361 through October 14, 20264
Cash on hand$75,7242$7,3933Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked$59,7604
Outside spending$487,215 for · $675,000 against5Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked
Federal income tax rates
Raise rates on high incomes only (for example, above $400,000)
Under the heading Tax the Rich, her platform calls for restoring the top income tax rate to an earlier level and closing the carried-interest loophole.6		Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checkedHis campaign website calls for ending the IRS.7,8Not found in the public sources we checked

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Melat Kiros — 31 issues
  • Abortion medication
    Her platform calls for repealing the Comstock Act provisions that it says opponents of abortion are trying to use to ban medication abortion nationwide.6
  • Birth control and IVF
    Her platform says access to the full range of reproductive care, including contraception and fertility treatment, must be protected and guaranteed.6
  • Who sets abortion law
    A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
    Her platform says the right to abortion should be written into federal law and that reproductive freedom should be made a constitutional right.6
  • Discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
    Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
    Her platform supports a federal Trans Bill of Rights with explicit protection from discrimination and says the Equality Act must be passed.6
  • Voting Rights Act protections
    Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
    Her platform supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, along with automatic and same-day voter registration.6
  • Collective bargaining for public employees
    Her platform supports protecting the right to strike, including for federal employees, and legalizing strikes by public employees.6
  • Federal minimum wage
    Her platform calls for raising the federal minimum wage to a living wage.6
  • Union organizing rules
    Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
    Her platform supports passing the PRO Act to make it easier for workers to organize, form unions and bargain collectively.6
  • Tuition-free college
    Free tuition at public colleges and universities
    Her platform calls for making public college and trade school tuition-free.6
  • Campaign finance rules
    Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
    Her platform supports overturning Citizens United through a constitutional amendment, banning super PACs, capping total campaign spending, and moving toward publicly financed elections.6
  • Stock trading by members of Congress
    Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
    Her platform supports banning members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks while in office.6
  • Term limits for Congress
    Her platform supports term limits for Congress.6
  • Data centers and electricity costs
    Pause or limit new data centers
    Her platform supports a moratorium on new AI data centers until federal rules protect labor, the environment and privacy, and requiring new data centers to run entirely on clean energy and lower consumer electricity costs.6
  • Child care costs
    Her campaign website supports universal child care, which it describes as treating caregiving as essential infrastructure, along with federally supported elder care.6,9
  • Paid family and medical leave
    Create a national paid leave program for all workers
    Her platform calls for guaranteeing paid family, medical and sick leave for every worker.6
  • Aid to Ukraine
    Her platform says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an illegal war of aggression and supports Ukraine's sovereignty, but says durable peace will come through negotiation led by a multilateral diplomatic process rather than escalation.6
  • Economic ties with China
    Her platform says competition with China need not become conflict, and supports continued diplomatic engagement, cooperation on climate and AI governance, and trade policy that protects American workers without a trade war.6
  • Military aid to Israel
    Reduce or end military aid to Israel
    Her platform supports an immediate and unconditional arms embargo on Israel and ending all U.S. funding for Israel's military.6,9
  • AR-15-style rifles
    Ban the sale of these rifles
    Her platform supports a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.6
  • Background checks for gun sales
    Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
    Her platform supports universal background checks for every gun sale and closing the loophole that lets a sale go ahead before a check is finished.6
  • Red flag laws
    Adopt more red flag laws, including a national one
    Her platform supports red flag laws and says there should be one at the federal level.6
  • Health insurance system
    One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
    Her campaign website says it is time to pass Medicare for All, and her platform also supports breaking up companies that combine insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and health care providers.6,9
  • Medical transition for minors
    No legal limits; leave decisions to patients, parents and doctors
    Her platform supports access to gender-affirming care for all ages, with medical decisions made by patients, families and doctors rather than politicians.6
  • Homelessness
    Provide permanent housing first, without requiring treatment or sobriety beforehand
    Her platform calls for a Housing First strategy that treats homelessness as a public health issue rather than a criminal one, with services for mental illness and addiction and long-term housing.6,9
  • Immigration enforcement inside the country
    Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies
    Her campaign website says ICE should be abolished and replaced with what it calls a humane, accountable immigration system focused on public safety.6,9
  • Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers
    A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks
    Her platform calls for accessible pathways to citizenship and full protection for DACA recipients and people with Temporary Protected Status, along with an end to for-profit detention centers.6
  • Highway and transit funding
    Shift more money to public transit, walking and biking
    Her platform supports major federal investment in public transit, including more light rail and bus rapid transit and affordable fares.6
  • Corporate tax rate
    Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
    Her platform says the corporate tax rate should be raised back above 50%.6
  • Taxes on very large fortunes
    A yearly tax on net worth above a high threshold (such as $50 million)
    Her platform supports an Ultra-Millionaire Tax on net worth above $50 million, which its glossary describes as a 2% yearly tax with an extra 1% above $1 billion.6
  • High-speed internet access
    Her platform supports building public broadband in underserved communities as part of expanding publicly owned utilities.6
  • Rules for artificial intelligence
    Her platform calls for strong oversight to prevent AI-driven discrimination in housing, hiring, criminal justice and health care, a ban on government AI mass surveillance, and international agreements on shared AI safety standards.6
Chad Humphrey — 4 issues
  • Marijuana laws
    Make it legal for adults to buy and use
    Asked on his campaign website whether marijuana should be legal, he answers that a government that trusts people to vote, serve on juries and join the military can trust them with their own decisions.8
  • Federal Reserve independence
    His campaign website calls for ending the Federal Reserve, and lists defunding the IRS and the Fed among his top priorities.7,8
  • Who decides on military action
    His campaign website says the country has spent decades borrowing money to fight wars Congress never properly declared, and that war should come only when absolutely necessary.8
  • Federal spending levels
    Cut overall federal spending
    His campaign website lists reducing federal spending among his top priorities and says he will not vote for any bill that grows the deficit and that the budget must be balanced.8
Shimon Blau — 3 issues
  • Abortion law
    His campaign website says he supports a woman's right to make her own health care decisions and does not believe government should interfere in women's health care.10
  • Same-sex marriage
    Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
    His campaign website says he supports the freedom of consenting adults to marry the person they love, without government interference.10
  • Legal immigration levels
    His campaign website calls for securing the border while building a faster, more efficient legal immigration system.10

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.