Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, said on social media on Wednesday that she will not run in the special election for Congressman Ken Buck's seat.
Buck planned to retire at the end of his term in January but announced on Tuesday that he would be departing from office at the end of next week.
The Context
Boebert, who serves Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, has been campaigning for Buck's seat in Colorado's 4th District. She still plans on running for his seat for the 2024-2026 term.
Buck is not seeking reelection because of the belief within his party that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and the refusal from many Republicans to condemn the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Boebert is a staunch Trump supporter and has said that she would "fight" for the rioters who were jailed for their actions on January 6.
What We Know
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Boebert said Buck expediting his retirement was in an attempt to rig the congressional election against her.
"Ken Buck's announcement yesterday was a gift to the uniparty," she wrote. "The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election I'm winning by 25 points.
"Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in a lameduck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months. The 4th District deserves better."
Colorado Governor Jared Polis plans to have the date of the special election, which will determine who will fill Buck's vacate seat for the rest of his term, to "align with the primary election on June 25," according to a statement from his office.
Boebert said in her post that she will not be running in the special election and instead will run in the primary for the general election in November.
"I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my current seat and will continue to deliver on my constituents' priorities while also working hard to earn the votes of the people of Colorado's 4th District who have made clear they are hungry for a real conservative," she said.
The congresswoman continued: "I am the only Trump-endorsed, America First candidate in this race and will win the 4th District's Primary Election on June 25th and General Election on November 5th."
Newsweek reached out to Boebert's office and campaign via email and Buck's office via phone for comment.
The Views
X user Paul A. Szypula replied to Boebert's new announcement: "Ken Buck was essentially a Democrat so his resignation changes nothing. If anything, it just proves what we already knew. Buck is a traitor. The more establishment POS like him that leave Congress the better."
Meanwhile, others threw criticism at Boebert. X user Travis Matthew wrote: "Your time in congress is done. Bye Boebert."
When Boebert first announced that she would be running for reelection in the 4th District, a more conservative district in her state, she was criticized on social media. People accused her of being a "coward abandoning her constituents just to hold on to some power elsewhere" and described her announcement as "smelling of desperation."
What's Next?
It is unclear how Boebert will perform in the primary with polls showing drastically different results.
Trump endorsed Boebert in her race on March 2, but even with the former president's support, she came in third place in a straw poll conducted on March 3 at a debate in Holyoke, Colorado. The congresswoman trailed behind former state senator and Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, and veteran state lawmaker Ted Harvey in the poll.
A Kaplan Strategies poll conducted on February 24 found Boebert with a 25-point lead over her challengers. Boebert got 32 percent of voter support, while her closest challenger, state representative Mike Lynch, trailed with 7 percent. The poll surveyed 558 registered, likely voters in Colorado's 4th district and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percent.
Update 3/13/24, 2:36 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/13/24, 3:12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
