GOP rep’s resignation puts Lauren Boebert 'in a political bind': report

17 March 2024

When conservative Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado) announced that he wasn't seeking reelection in 2024, his allies hoped he would serve out the rest of his term. But Buck has grown even more frustrated with the House GOP majority since then and has announced a March departure — which, according to The Hill's Caroline Vakil, makes things even more difficult and complicated for far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado).

Boebert is presently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives via Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, but she decided that her chances of winning another term were better in a district that is even more conservative than her own: Buck's. Boebert is seeking the GOP nomination for the seat Buck presently holds but won't have much longer, and some Republicans in Colorado's 4th Congressional District have been attacking her as an opportunistic "carpetbagger."

In a report published on March 17, Vakil stresses that Buck's decision to leave the House early puts Boebert "in a political bind."

"Observers say Boebert is at a disadvantage due to the fact the special election to serve the remainder of Buck's term is being held the same day as the primary for the full term — a move the divisive ally of Donald Trump argues was aimed specifically at hurting her," Vakil explains. "Boebert, who already nearly lost reelection once in her current district, must now navigate even trickier political terrain in the hopes of remaining in Congress, with some Colorado Republicans arguing she faces an uphill battle."

Vakil notes that "whoever runs to fill Buck's seat in the short term" — the special election in the 4th District — "will also likely be listed on the ballot in the race for the full term and that Boebert "opted not to run in the special election, which would have required her to leave her current seat."

This is a situation that GOP strategist Kelly Maher compares to "asking people to ticket-split, but on steroids."

Maher told The Hill, "You're asking people to vote for a different party down ballot. But she needs to be making the case that you should vote for an entirely different person down ballot while the same name is listed twice. That's going to be wild."

Boebert has attacked Buck's decision to leave his seat early as "a gift to the Uniparty" and "a swampy backroom deal."

Republican strategist Ryan Lynch told The Hill, "Essentially, what Lauren's going to be asking voters to do is to vote for somebody else in the special election, but then against that same person in the primary and instead vote for her. And that's — that's definitely a heavier lift."

Read The Hill's full report at this link.

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