Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said Wednesday that she is not planning to run in the June special election to replace retiring Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.).
Boebert, who currently represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and is campaigning for Buck’s seat in the 4th District, said on Wednesday in a Rumble livestream that she will “not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority” by vacating her seat to run for the special election.
“Put in your Ukraine-first candidate,” she said. “I don’t really care. It’s going to be a placeholder for six months, but at least there will be someone to help us keep our majority.”
Buck announced his intention to not run for reelection late last year. But on Tuesday he said he was cutting his term short and leaving office next week, triggering a special election to fill the rest of his term. His maneuver put Boebert in an awkward position: Would she run in the special election and resign from her current seat, or skip the special election and simply face her party’s chosen candidate for a full term?
The special election will be held concurrently with the primary election on June 25.
Boebert slammed the special election, calling it “unnecessary” and warning that it will “confuse voters.”
“It will result in a lame-duck congressman on day one and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months,” she said. “I believe that this is selfish.”
A crowded field of Republicans are vying for the seat, a sprawling safe Republican district that covers the eastern part of the state.
