Colorado Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) announced he will retire from the House next week, shrinking the already very small GOP majority.
Buck, who entered Congress as a hardline Tea Party conservative, has broken in recent months with the MAGA wing of the GOP, accusing them of performative stunts that undermine the rule of law. Buck vocally opposed the recent impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which failed to pass on the first attempt.
“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,” Buck said in a statement Tuesday, adding:
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.
CNN’s Manu Raju noted, “Ken Buck to resign from Congress next week, further tightening Johnson’s already razor-thin majority.” Raju noted he reached out to embattled Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) who switched districts to run for Buck’s seat after he announced he would not seek reelection.
“Is that why he called me?” Boebert replied.
The GOP currently has 219 seats in the House, compared to the Democrats’ 213 seats. After Buck’s departure, the 218-213 majority will mean that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will have only two extra votes in order to pass legislation on party lines. Buck’s announcement caught Johnson off guard. “I was surprised by Ken’s announcement. I’m looking forward to talking with him about that,” the speaker told NBC News.
Buck has sharpened his criticism of his party in recent weeks, recently telling NewsNation that part of why he was leaving Congress was so he no longer had to “lie on behalf” of Donald Trump and his party.
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