A special election to fill the House seat vacated by outgoing Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) will be held on June 25, the same day as the state’s primary, Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced Tuesday.
Buck unexpectedly announced his resignation from the House on Tuesday, effective next week, after previously declaring that he would not seek reelection.
The special election adds wrinkles to an already complicated House election in Colorado, where Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) is attempting to switch districts to succeed Buck.
Boebert will be on the ballot in the district’s primary election but would have to resign from her House seat to run for the special election. Each party is allowed to nominate one candidate for the race, and Boebert currently represents Colorado’s 3rd District.
The split ballots could hurt Boebert, with GOP voters more likely to back the same candidate for both the special election and primary.
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The 4th District primary is busy, with 11 candidates registered for the ballot. The district is solidly red, meaning the primary victor is likely to take the seat in November.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years,” Buck said in a statement. “I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years.”
“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” he said. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family.”
Buck’s departure further erodes an already thin majority for Republicans in the House. With Buck’s seat empty, the GOP can only afford to lose two members on any party-line vote.
The Hill has reached out to Boebert’s campaign for comment.