The special election to fill the House seat vacated by outgoing Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) will be held on June 25, the same day as the primary election for Gov. Jared Polis (D). Ru. Announced on Tuesday.
After previously declaring he would not seek re-election, Buck unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that he would resign from the House of Representatives starting next week.
The special election adds another layer to Colorado’s already complicated House race, where Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) is seeking to redistrict to replace Buck.
Boebert plans to vote in the district’s primary election, but would have to resign her seat in the House of Representatives to run in the special election. Each party can nominate one candidate in the race, and Boebert currently represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
Republican voters are likely to support the same candidate in both the special election and the primary, and split ballots could hurt Boebert.
The District 4 primary is a busy one, with 11 candidates registered to vote. The district is solid red, meaning the primary winner is likely to take her seat in November.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in Congress for the past nine years,” Buck said in a statement. “I would like to thank them for their support and encouragement over the years.”
“I am announcing today that I will be leaving parliament at the end of next week,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to participate in our political process and spending more time with my family in Colorado.”
Buck’s resignation will further erode the already thin House Republican majority. With Buck’s seat open, Republicans can only lose two members on a partisan vote.
The Hill has reached out to Boebert’s camp for comment.
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