Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) announced in November that he would not seek re-election in Colorado's 4th District, with the logical presumption being that he would serve out the remainder of his term before retiring, but he then surprised everyone by announcing on Wednesday that he would resign early from his seat in Congress next week.
That triggered a special election in June that, in the view of some, was purposefully intended to hamper the political future of the 3rd District's Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who previously planned to run as Buck's replacement in the 4th District but won't participate in the special election, according to the New York Post.
If Boebert were to run in and win the 4th District's special election, she would be forced to resign her 3rd District seat, setting up another vacancy and special election that might be won by a Democratic candidate, further decreasing the already slim House majority that Republicans currently maintain.
Rep. Buck on Tuesday announced that, rather than continue serving until the end of the current term, he would resign early and "depart Congress at the end of next week."
Though he has not revealed his future plans, the Post noted that rumors indicate the moderate Republican has lined up a job as an on-air commentator for CNN -- likely as one who will be outspoken in his criticisms of former President Donald Trump and his supposed fellow GOP colleagues in Congress.
Buck's announcement prompted the release of a statement from Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis that thanked the congressman for his "years of public service" and revealed a plan to fill the vacancy with a special election.
"To ensure that Colorado has the representation we deserve in Congress, and to minimize taxpayer cost, I plan to take swift action to set the date of the special election to fill the vacancy created by Ken Buck’s resignation to align with Colorado’s primary on June 25th," the governor said.
To say this move from Rep. Buck disrupted Rep. Boebert's plans would be an understatement, and her fury at the unexpected development was evident in an X post on Wednesday.
"Ken Buck’s announcement yesterday was a gift to the uniparty," Boebert wrote. "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 a lameduck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months. The 4th District deserves better," she continued.
Boebert declared, "I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my current seat and will continue to deliver on my constituents’ priorities while also working hard to earn the votes of the people of Colorado’s 4th District who have made clear they are hungry for a real conservative."
"I am the only Trump-endorsed, America First candidate in this race and will win the 4th District’s Primary Election on June 25th and General Election on November 5th," the outspoken pro-Trump congresswoman added.
According to Colorado Newsline, the combination of the 4th District special election and primary election on the same day will prove confusing for many voters, as it remains unclear right now which of the nine Republican candidates who were already running in the primary to replace Rep. Buck, if any of them, will also be the GOP nominee in the special election.
Given how solidly red the 4th District is, compared to the more competitive nature of the 3rd District after the last round of redistricting, whoever ultimately wins the special election will have an incumbency boost over any other competitors when the general election is held in November, and while it remains possible that Rep. Boebert will win both the primary and the general, it is also plausible that she won't win that primary and then be forced out of a job in Congress next year.
