Ken Buck to Retire Next Week, Narrowing GOP’s House Majority

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., stunned many of his colleagues on Tuesday, announcing that he’d moved up his pending departure from the House from the end of his term to the end of next week.

Buck’s decision was the talk of Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon after he posted a brief, two-sentence statement to the X social media platform.

After saying that he’s been honored to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District for the past nine years, Buck abruptly dropped his bombshell, softening the blow by saying, “I look forward to staying involved in our political process as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”

Even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he was “surprised” by the news, though Buck’s office said the congressman called and left a voicemail for the speaker about 20 minutes before he made his intentions public.

With his departure, the makeup of the House will be 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. That means if all members are present, the GOP majority will only be able to afford to lose two of its members on any matter that comes down to a party-line vote.

Under Colorado law, a special election to replace a member of Congress must occur between 85 and 100 days after a seat is vacated.

The state’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis indicated Tuesday that he hopes to hold the special election at the same time as the already scheduled primary election on June 25.

That primary already includes a large field of candidates, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who currently represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, but is switching districts to run in one more favorable to a GOP candidate this year.

And Buck’s district is solidly Republican. Former President Donald Trump won the district by more than 18 percentage points in 2020, meaning it’s likely the seat will remain in Republican hands.

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