Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado's consistently red 4th Congressional District, announced on Tuesday that he would step down just before the end of his term, further reducing the size of the GOP majority in the house.
Ken Buck confirms he won't run for reelection
Buck confirmed his resignation, which will take effect on March 22. His term ends in November of this year, and he had previously said that he would not run for reelection.
In his statement, Buck said, "It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado's 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. 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."
Why is Ken Buck resigning from the office?
Later in the day, Buck spoke with the media at the Capitol and the five-term congressman gave reasons for his resignation, including growing political polarization and dysfunction in Congress. He cited the impeachment vote in the House of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as well as the current impeachment investigation against President Biden.
Who is Ken Buck?
Early life and education
Born on February 16, 1959, Kenneth Robert Buck is an American politician and attorney. Buck completed a 75-page final thesis at Princeton University with the title Saudi Arabia: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in politics in 1981. The University of Wyoming College of Law awarded him a Juris Doctor in 1985, and he went on to work at the state legislative services office in Wyoming afterward.
Political career
Since 2015, Buck has served as the representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district in the US House of Representatives. Buck replaced Jeff Hays as chair of the Colorado Republican Party and held the position from March 30, 2019, to March 27, 2021.
In November 2023, Buck declared that he would not be running for a sixth term in the House, citing the "insidious narratives that breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans' confidence in the rule of law" as the reason. Buck declared on March 12, 2024, that he would leave Congress after the following week. The special election to replace Buck has been set for June 25 by Governor Jared Polis.