There’s been a significant development from Capitol Hill that has caught lawmakers and observers off guard. Representative Ken Buck of Colorado has announced his intention to quit Congress next week, a move that is raising a lot of eyebrows.
Ken Buck, a Republican and moderate, including his criticism of his own party, had previously stated he would not seek re-election after his current term. However, in a surprising turn of events, he has just decided to up and leave.
Why? That’s the strange part.
Here’s what he told CNN:
“It is the worst year of the nine years and three 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. But I’m leaving because I think there’s a job to do out there that I want to go do,” he said.
What a wimp.
Guy basically left because things were hard and it required people to have a spine.
Buck’s resignation narrows the House GOP’s majority even further, leaving the party with a slim margin for passing partisan measures. His departure underscores the challenges the GOP faces in maintaining unity and pushing through its agenda, making the passage of legislation an even more delicate balancing act.
The news of Buck’s early retirement has sent shockwaves through the Capitol, with Speaker Mike Johnson expressing surprise at the decision. The Speaker of the House got a 30 minutes heads up.
Speaker Mike Johnson was caught off guard by the announcement from Ken Buck retiring early.
“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement. I look forward to talking to him about that,” he told reporters.
He said he did not know in advance: “I did not know.” pic.twitter.com/7egUzQcBRg
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) March 12, 2024
Colorado law mandates a special election to fill Buck’s seat, with Governor Jared Polis stating that it will align with the primary election on June 25. This special election will decide who completes Buck’s term, setting the stage for what promises to be a closely watched and highly competitive race, given the district’s strong Republican leanings.
A Buck spokesperson tells me Buck called and left Johnson a voicemail about 30 minutes before the retirement announcement went live to give him a heads up about his plans to leave Congress next week https://t.co/XUtlEChqmi
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) March 12, 2024
The sudden announcement has a lot of people frustrated and curious.
Is he being black mailed? https://t.co/2qRINVvVl0
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 13, 2024
RINO Ken Buck is resigning to help destroy the Republican majority.
Look for 2 more to resign and give back control to the Democrats before the November election.
It’s all about protecting Biden now with the RINO’S
Great job removing George Santos pic.twitter.com/xdg39zbgMV— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) March 12, 2024
