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WASHINGTON — Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who has frequently rebelled against his party and announced last fall that he would not seek re-election, announced Tuesday that he would resign from Congress next weekend, adding to an already stronghold in the Republican Party. It was further reduced. -The majority is thin.
“I am announcing today that I will be leaving Congress at the end of next week,” Buck said. statement. “I look forward to continuing to be involved in the political process and spending more time with Colorado and my family.”
His resignation will reduce House Republican support to 218-213. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) still has two votes to spare before Democratic control is needed. But illness or other unexpected absences can make an already difficult job even more difficult.
Mr. Buck later said he was tired of the way the House was run now. “We have accepted impeachment and made it a social media issue rather than a constitutional concept. This place continues to go downhill and I don’t need to spend any more time here,” he said. Ta.
Shortly after the news broke, Johnson suggested to reporters that he had not been warned by Buck.
“I was surprised by Ken’s presentation and I look forward to talking to him about it,” the speaker said.
But Mr. Buck said he actually informed Mr. Johnson, left a message for the chairman and discussed Mr. Johnson’s resignation with other members of the leadership. “Frankly, I won’t be leaving for a week, so they need a week to prepare,” he said.
Other Republican colleagues said they were surprised by Buck’s decision. “I’m very surprised, very concerned, very alarmed, very concerned,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas).
Mr. Buck, a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, has become famous in Washington for frequently breaking with his party on important issues.
He criticized Republican lawmakers who echoed former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He expressed doubt that Republicans had found evidence that President Joe Biden had committed an impeachable offense. He also faced multiple death threats from conservatives after refusing to support Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a key ally of President Trump, in the speaker’s race in October. Ta.
Most recently, Buck broke with his party and became one of three Republicans to vote against the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Buck mentioned these votes when asked why he is making the Republican majority’s job harder by reducing the number of Republicans in Congress. “I’m not going to vote against any more impeachments, so I’m actually helping them in some way,” he said.
Buck’s resignation will result in a special election in Colorado. State law requires special elections to fill seats, which must be called within 85 to 100 days after the vacancy occurs.
If Buck resigns on March 22nd, his remaining 85 days would be June 15th, which could lead to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis scheduling an election on the same day as the Colorado state primary on June 25th. There is.
Instead of holding a primary, the state party committee nominates special election candidates during the state convention.
Several Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, have already announced their candidacy for Buck’s seat in 2024.
Mr. Buck, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014, entered politics in the mid-1980s, working for then-Congressman. Dick Cheney, R-Wyo., on the committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair; Shortly after, he was hired as a prosecutor at the Justice Department, which is now the target of vicious attacks from Trump and his party.
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