Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., abruptly announced on Tuesday that he will resign from Congress later this month instead of serving out the rest of his term.
Buck announced on social media that he would step down at the end of next week. The longtime lawmaker, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who has emerged as a critic of the MAGA wing of the party, previously said he would not run for another term. He was one of three Republicans to vote against the impeachment of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas and criticized the GOP push to impeach President Joe Biden.
The move will shrink the Republican majority to 218 seats to the Democrats’ 213 seats — meaning the GOP can’t afford more than two defections on any party-line vote. Democrats are expected to pick up a seat next month in the special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., who resigned last month, but Republicans are in line to add seats in special elections in May and June to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and former Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, according to Axios.
Twenty-three Republican lawmakers have already announced they will not run for re-election but Buck’s abrupt departure “blindsided” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House GOP Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., according to Politico’s Jonathan Martin.
“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement. I’m looking forward to talking to him about that,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday, admitting he “did not know” it was coming.
Speaker Mike Johnson was caught off guard by the announcement from Ken Buck retiring early.
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) March 12, 2024
“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement. I look forward to talking to him about that,” he told reporters.
He said he did not know in advance: “I did not know.” pic.twitter.com/7egUzQcBRg
The shrinking majority has alarmed some Republican lawmakers.
"It lowers the margin and that creates an obvious challenge for leadership," Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., told Axios.
“Obviously, it makes the numbers much tougher,” agreed House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla.
"I am concerned about the majority," Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., told the outlet, adding, "I just wish the rest of our party was."
Buck’s departure also has the potential effect of “short-circuiting” Rep. Lauren Boebert’s, R-Colo., bid to succeed him, The Associated Press reported. Boebert, who narrowly won re-election in her current district, is running this year in Buck’s district after he announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.
Now, a committee of Colorado Republicans must pick a nominee for a special election to serve out the rest of Buck’s term that will be held on the same day as the party primary for the district, according to the AP. That nominee is unlikely to be Boebert, who has no prior ties to the district and has drawn backlash for moving out of her tight district. That means there will only be one nominee on the special election ballot and that person could also be a candidate alongside Boebert on the primary ballot.
“By resigning early, Ken Buck is giving an advantage to anyone but Lauren Boebert,” tweeted former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. “She cannot run in the special election since she already occupies a seat, so another person will be elected to serve out the term, and it won’t be Lauren.”
Former House aide Aaron Fritschner explained that Boebert could run in the special election if she resigns her seat but that would create a new vacancy. “But if she doesn't run in the special she risks losing her chance to remain in Congress,” he added, noting that it’s a “big headache for House GOP leadership and their small majority.”
Boebert complained that the move has “a lot of potential to confuse voters” during an XSpace discussion with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and disgraced former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., according to Business Insider.
Boebert called Buck’s early departure “kind of swampy” and said that while she’s “not making any official statement of what I’m doing,” suggested she would prefer the party nominate someone in the special election who is not running in the primary.
"We're all figuring this out," said Boebert. "We're talking to the vacancy committee, seeing what their plan is, seeing if they have someone who's not a candidate who's going to run in the special."
Buck told CNN on Tuesday that he was leaving Congress because “this place is dysfunctional.”
“Instead of having decorum, instead of operating in a professional manner, this place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people,” he said. "And having talked to former members, it's the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress," he added. "But I'm leaving because I think there's a job to do out there that I want to go do."
