Tuesday evening’s House and Senate primaries in Colorado will put relatively mainstream incumbent Democrats against progressive challengers and serve as a litmus test for the appeal of candidates emulating New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani off the nation’s coasts.

The state currently has two Democratic senators and four Democratic House members, with Republicans holding the other four House seats. But the state leans Democratic overall and its blue districts are reliably in that party’s camp, which seems to have voters open to more left-wing candidates.

Last week, a string of Mamdani-backed candidates managed to sweep their primaries in New York City, knocking off incumbent lawmakers, including the head of the congressional hispanic caucus. The media widely interpreted the results as evidence of Mamdani’s growing influence and the increasing appeal of socialist-orientated candidates.

Tuesday’s contests in Colorado feature similar matchups, pitting Mamdani-esque insurgents against incumbent Democrats.

At the state-wide level, Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., is facing off against state Sen. Julie Gonzales, D. Her campaign website describes her as a “progressive Democrat” who embraces a litany of progressive priorities, including Medicare for all. Gonzales has also called for raising the minimum wage, establishing renter protections, and imposing an arms embargo on Israel.

In the state’s First Congressional District, moreover, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., faces challenger Melat Kiros, a progressive critic of “establishment Democrats” who supports Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and universal childcare. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has endorsed her campaign.

The Eighth District is currently represented by a Republican and two Democratic state lawmakers are vying for the party nod to face him. State Rep. Shannon Bird is reportedly the favorite of party leaders while the more progressive state Rep. Manny Rutinel has insisted a more left-wing agenda will energize voters and fare well in the general election, the Associated Press reported.

Both of the House races include at least portions of Denver or its suburbs, and many of the progressive insurgents are based in the urban area, meaning some of the primary dynamics resemble the New York races that broke for the progressives. Nevertheless, Colorado is decidedly more rural and several of the districts include significant non-urban voting populations, meaning that establishment Democrats may have more options to put down an urban progressive revolt than they did in New York.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.