Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., on Thursday rejected claims that his decision to resign from Congress early is intended to hurt Representative Lauren Boebert's chances of winning in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.
Buck announced earlier this year that his current term would be his last in the House of Representatives. But on Tuesday, he stunned his GOP colleagues by announcing his resignation will be effective on March 22, which will trigger a special election for his seat in the 4th District on June 25 to temporarily fill the vacancy.
Boebert, a Republican, slammed the move as "a gift to the uniparty" and claimed establishment Republicans were attempting to "rig" an election "I'm winning by 25 points."
Buck responded to those claims in an interview with the Colorado Sun on Friday. "It's ridiculous," he said, telling the paper he is not "giving anybody an advantage or disadvantage" in the race for his seat.
"I have done my very best to stay out of this primary election," Buck said.
Buck explained that his decision to leave Congress early was based on his growing frustration with gridlock in Congress and desire to campaign for election reforms to improve the quality of candidates who win office, according to the Colorado Sun.
"I want to be a voice for change in our system," Buck told the outlet.
He also said the timing of his decision was intended to have the special election coincide with Colorado's June 25 primary, which will save taxpayer dollars.
GOP COLORADO REP KEN BUCK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS BY END OF NEXT WEEK
"I thought that was really important," Buck said.
Boebert said Wednesday she will not compete in the special election to fill Buck's vacancy, as doing so would require her to vacate her own seat.
LAUREN BOEBERT SWITCHES DISTRICTS, ANNOUNCING RUN FOR COLORADO SEAT BEING VACATED BY KEN BUCK
"Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in a lameduck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months. The 4th District deserves better," Boebert said in a post on X.
"I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my current seat and will continue to deliver on my constituents’ priorities while also working hard to earn the votes of the people of Colorado’s 4th District who have made clear they are hungry for a real conservative," she added.
Boebert currently represents Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. But earlier this year, she announced her decision to run for re-election in Colorado's 4th, where more Republicans live.
The move is widely seen as a strategic choice after Democrat Adam Frisch came just 546 votes shy of defeating Boebert in the 2022 midterm election.
