U.S. Rep. Ken Buck will step down from Congress on March 22, he announced Tuesday, setting the stage for a special election in a year when his expected departure already had set off a race to succeed him.
The Windsor Republican said in November that he would not seek reelection to the position but would serve through the end of this term. The rare open seat, in a deeply conservative district, immediately drew a frenzy of candidates — including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who is seeking to change from her current seat on Colorado’s Western Slope.
But Buck’s unexpected resignation before his term ends would fall in the window where Colorado requires the governor to set a special election to fill the vacancy for the rest of this year, potentially supercharging that race. State law says a special election cannot be scheduled less than 90 days before the Nov. 5 election — meaning it must occur by early August.
The state’s congressional primaries, when Democratic and Republican candidates will be nominated for the fall election, already are set for June 25. Whoever wins the special election would need to win in November to continue serving next year.
The 4th Congressional District stretches across eastern Colorado, from the Wyoming border south to the Oklahoma panhandle, and includes Douglas County in metro Denver. Boebert announced earlier that she would change districts to vie for the seat.
Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and state Reps. Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf are among the Republicans who have also filed for the seat.
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Buck is in his fifth term in Congress. He cited “self-serving lies” about the 2020 presidential election from within his own party when he announced he would not seek reelection.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years,” Buck said in a statement Tuesday. “I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years. Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week. I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”
His statement did not cite a reason for his decision to step down early. Buck’s resignation will narrow the already-slim Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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