Denver doctor Shimon Blau qualified Friday to be on the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate in the 1st Congressional District, where he will make a long-shot bid to prevent Democrat Melat Kiros from being elected.
Blau, a first-time candidate, is Jewish and posted on social media that he decided to enter the race in Denver because he was alarmed about Kiros’ statements on Israel and refusal to call the Boulder firebombing last year of a Jewish community rally antisemitic.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office reviewed the signatures Blau collected from voters to make the ballot and determined they were sufficient. He needed 1,500 signatures collected by July 9 to qualify.
Melat Kiros, the Democratic nominee for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, speaks to Ryan Warner in Colorado Matters’ uptown Denver studio on July 7, 2026. (Kevin J. Beaty, Denverite via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)
Blau began his signature gathering campaign just days before the deadline, after Kiros unseated U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat who was running for a 16th term in Congress.
Also on the November ballot in the 1st District are Republican Christy Peterson, a designer and accountant who works in construction; Libertarian Chad Humphrey, a former Marine who has worked in the tech sector; and Unity Party candidate Critter Milton, an activist and perennial candidate for office in Colorado.
Blau submitted more than 2,200 voter signatures to state elections officials, 1,918 of which were deemed valid.
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
