Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) rejected the allegations that his resignation from Congress is aimed at impeding Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) bid to claim his 4th Congressional District seat.
Buck originally stated last year that he would not seek reelection. His early departure from Congress was announced on Tuesday, leading to a special election to fill his seat.
Boebert described Buck’s decision as “weak sauce,” labeling it as a “gift to the Uniparty.”
“The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election I’m winning by 25 points,” she said in comments earlier this week.
Buck responded on Thursday, telling telling the Colorado Sun that it’s “absurd” to suggest his early resignation is designed to make it harder for Boebert to get elected after she switched to run in his district. Buck also stated that he is not “giving anybody an advantage or disadvantage” in his district’s race.
“I have done my very best to stay out of this primary election,” he informed the Colorado news outlet.
Buck also clarified his decision to announce an early retirement, expressing that he wanted the special election to coincide with the primary scheduled for June 25.
“I thought that was really important,” Buck said.
Boebert mentioned that she will not participate in the special election, choosing to focus on the primary.
“Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in a lame duck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months,” she mentioned. “The 4th District deserves better.”
Boebert is in a challenging political situation. Her move to the 4th district has been deemed by some an attempt to avoid losing to Democrat Adam Frisch, who was in close contest against her in 2022, but ultimately lost.
In the special election, each party selects a candidate to compete, who will eventually represent the district for the remainder of the current term. The GOP’s choice in the special election will have an advantage since it coincides with the state primary. For Boebert to participate in the special election, she would need to vacate her 3rd District seat, which would reduce the Republican majority in the lower chamber that has already decreased due to Buck's departure.
