We all knew Ken Buck was going to leave Congress at the end of his term. Well, today he abruptly resigned and will leave NEXT WEEK.

Statement from Congressman Ken Buck on his departure from Congress. pic.twitter.com/orjSzenZnv

— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) March 12, 2024

This is a guy who was, at one time, one of the staunchest fiscal conservatives out there. He had served Colorado’s 4th Congressional district well these last years. He was against much of Colorado’s Covid lockdowns, worked diligently for Colorado agriculture as his district is mostly rural, stood against abortion, voted against more taxes, supports Israel, and opposes gun control. That said, it was the 2020 election that sent Ken Buck into a tail spin. 

Even though there are serious problems in Colorado with mail-in ballots, and with CO Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s law fare against President Trump, Ken Buck took the opposite stance. He has been a long-time supporter of Liz Cheney and has gone against the grain, such as refusing to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas, (therefore helping out Democrats) many times in recent years. 

But privately, a half a dozen sources said there is growing frustration – including among the leadership ranks – with Buck, who has voted against the House GOP’s signature parental rights bill, their annual defense policy bill and the bipartisan debt ceiling deal. Buck also was among a group of Republicans who tanked a procedural vote on a gas stove bill in protest over spending levels and has openly suggested on CNN that McCarthy is just using impeachment as a “distraction” from the other issues he is facing.

Given there is credible evidence that the DOJ has been going after parents across the country, Ken Buck’s vote against the parental rights bill was a huge disappointment for many. 

In many ways, it came as no surprise last November that Ken Buck would announce he won’t run for re-election. Of course, that ended up with a huge primary field in the 4th Congressional. Which now includes Lauren Boebert who abruptly moved districts just a few short months ago. 

But now, Ken is leaving the 4th Congressional and the U.S. House in the lurch. He didn’t tell ANYONE about this decision. 

His departure will cut the House Republican margin to 218-213; Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will continue to have two votes to spare before needing Democrats to govern. But illnesses and other unexpected absences could make his already difficult job even more challenging.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the news broke, Johnson suggested he did not get a heads-up from Buck.

“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement. I’m looking forward to talking with him about that,” the speaker said.

Other GOP colleagues said they were taken aback by Buck’s decision. “Very surprising, very disturbing, very alarming, very concerning,” said Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas.

Smooth move Ken. Way to leave both the House and the 4th Congressional spinning in the wind right now. So why is he leaving RIGHT NOW?

Oh, so Ken is going to come back to Colorado and go find “good” candidates for office plus change the current election laws? This as he leaves his district spinning in the wind while everyone has to scramble to put a special election together! 

Federal law requires that Buck’s vacant seat in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District be filled through a special election. Gov. Jared Polis is responsible for setting the date of the election.

A GOP vacancy committee in the Republican-stronghold district will be convened to select the party’s nominee for the special election. The same will happen on the Democratic side.

The date of the special election has to be outside the 90 day window for the general in November. Currently the primary is set for June 25th. And, as I noted above, there’s already quite the slate of candidates running for Buck’s seat. 

According to Ken, he just doesn’t like the toxicity in Congress. 

"It is the worst year of the 9 years and 3 months that I've been in Congress. And having talked to former members it's the worst year in 40-50 years to be in Congress," GOP @RepKenBuck tells me as he announces he is resigning at the end of next week. pic.twitter.com/CZd1I1CzzN

— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) March 12, 2024

Oh, ok. But you are going to go out and change the electoral process while dunking all over the current electoral process and leaving your district in the lurch? That’s pretty damned arrogant of you, Ken.

Then again, he might be gaming the system. You see, unless Lauren Boebert resigns her seat and literally hands the 3rd to the Democrats, she cannot run for the 4th in the Special Election. Is THAT what Ken means by fixing the electoral process? 

I sincerely doubt that Ken cares about leaving the House and the 4th Congressional district spinning in the wind. As with others who are speculating, I’d bet his gig at CNN or MSNBC starts in April. Furthermore, given his stance regarding election denialism, anyone care to bet how long it takes before he joins Liz Cheney at her PAC, The Great Task? 

Needless to say, by this move, Ken Buck threw what remaining credibility he has into the gutter.

UPDATE: This explainer from Kelly Maher, a long-time Colorado political pundit, outlines clearly how much of a mess the 4th Congressional has been thrown into by Buck’s abrupt resignation. 

On ⁦@livenowfox⁩ with ⁦@AndyMacSports⁩ talking about ⁦@RepKenBuck⁩’s early departure from congress. #copolitics https://t.co/VyX3AAaN0N

— Kelly Maher (@okmaher) March 12, 2024

The current primary is set for June 25th. Governor Polis has now set the CD4 Special Election for the SAME DAY. There will be TWO ballots, and it’s possible that both ballots will have much of the same names on them. What. A. Mess. 

Feature Photo Credit: Ken Buck by Gage Skidmore via Flickr, cropped and modified