Colorado Rep. Ken Buck resigning from Congress before month’s end, narrowing GOP majority

Congressman Ken Buck announces resignation from Congress

Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, said Tuesday he will resign before his term is up, further narrowing the GOP’s majority in the chamber. 

Buck had previously announced he would not seek reelection at the end of his term, which ends in November. But he announced on Tuesday that his resignation will be effective on March 22. 

Buck released a short statement about his decision but it didn’t give an explanation about why he came to it.

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. 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,” he said.

His decision to step aside reduces Republicans’ already slim majority in the lower chamber from three seats to two. House leaders on Capitol Hill seemed surprised by Buck’s sudden announcement. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House majority leader, said he’s “curious to see why he’s leaving so early.” 

Speaker Mike Johnson said he’s looking forward to talking with Buck about his decision to depart. The Louisiana Republican said that his strategy to unite his conference will remain the same, despite the narrower majority. 

“Build consensus, keep the coalition together. I’m confident we can do that,” he told reporters. “I think everybody understands the stakes and the necessity of working together. Sometimes we got to give up our preferences, but we’re not going to compromise core principles, but we’ll get the job done.”

Under the Constitution, a House vacancy must be filled by a special election, with the rules differing in each state. In Colorado, state law says the governor must set the date for a special election, and it must be held more than 90 days before a general election.

Buck made an appearance on CNN and said his recent experience in Congress has been filled with problems: “It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, is leaving her district to run for Buck’s seat. The Republican primary election takes place in late July.

Colorado’s 4th Congressional District includes most of the rural eastern half of Colorado and the heavily populated Douglas County in the southern part of the Denver metro area. It also includes the city of Loveland in Northern Colorado. Aside from Democrat Betsy Markey, who served from 2009 to 2011, the district hasn’t seen a Democratic representative since 1973.

Jaala Brown contributed reporting.