Ken Buck’s Early Retirement Raises Electoral Issues For Lauren Boebert

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) originally planned to leave Congress in January 2025.
The congressman has now decided to leave near the end of March.

Republicans are now down another seat in the House.

Buck’s retirement has created problems for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

(NewsReady.com) – Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) announced he was leaving Congress in November. At the time, the congressman said he was going to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in January 2025. He has now changed his mind and decided to leave his position early. That has put Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) in a bit of a pickle.

Retirement Announcement

On March 12, Buck announced he was leaving Congress on March 22, rather than next year as originally planned. He currently represents Colorado’s 4th District. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, he said it was “an honor to serve the people” of his district “for the past 9 years.” He thanked them for their support.

Buck said he intends to spend more time with his family after leaving Congress.

Statement from Congressman Ken Buck on his departure from Congress. pic.twitter.com/orjSzenZnv

— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) March 12, 2024

The congressman’s decision reportedly shocked his Republican colleagues and those in leadership. It was also a big loss for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). Once he leaves, the GOP will only control 218 of the 435 seats. That is exactly the number of seats the Republican Party needs to maintain its majority in the House.

Buck will leave the chamber on the same day as a congressional deadline to pass spending bills to avoid a government shutdown.

Headache for Boebert

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) announced there would be a special election to fill the congressman’s seat on June 25. The date is the same as an already scheduled primary.

Rep. Boebert currently represents the 3rd District. However, when Buck announced his resignation last year, she said she was going to run for his seat. She barely won reelection in 2022, beating Democrat Adam Frisch by just 546 votes.

The special election puts Boebert at a disadvantage. If she wanted to replace Buck, she would have to resign from her current seat and run in the special election. She has already ruled that out. In a statement on X, she called Buck’s announcement a “gift to the Uniparty” and called it a “swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election [she is] winning by 25 points.”

Ken Buck’s announcement yesterday was a gift to the uniparty.

The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election I’m winning by 25 points.

Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in…

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 13, 2024

Whoever wins Buck’s seat will have to run for reelection in November for a full term. Boebert is certain she will be the party’s nominee for that race.