A committee of Colorado Republicans is slated to nominate a candidate Thursday to fill the vacant seat of Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., the Associated Press reported, and its pick will most likely be one of almost a dozen Republicans currently vying for his seat—with the exception of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
A GOP panel is reportedly expected to announce the nominee Thursday.
Eleven Republicans are on the ballot for the Congressional district’s primary—one of which will likely be the committee’s pick, according to AP.
Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Colo., and Rep. Michael Lynch, R-Colo., are two hopefuls that are currently representing the state’s other districts.
The other GOP candidates are: Mariel Bailey, who served in various Congressional support roles throughout the Trump administration, founder of non-profit Parents United America and radio host Deborah Flora, local councilman and business owner Trent Leisy, Chris Phelen, a former chief of staff to Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., veteran and activist Justin Schreiber, former Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, veteran Floyd Trujillo, and former House and Senate candidate Peter Yu.
The committee’s pick will be running in two bids for the same seat until June’s election, according to AP.
Boebert, who represents the state’s third district, indicated she will not run in the special election to replace Buck while lashing out at the process in a post on X because she wants to serve out the remainder of her term—a decision that could potentially confuse voters.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ordered the special election to replace Buck’s seat to be held on June 25, the same day as the state’s primary election.
- That’s how many members of Congress, including Buck, have announced their resignation since last November. They include former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc.—who announced his resignation last week.
Five Democratic candidates are also running in the district’s primary. They are: attorney Karen Breslin, Trisha Calvarese, who served as Sen. Bernie Sander’s, I-Vt., first press intern, veteran Ike McCorkle, activist John Padora and Anil Saexna, who serves as global head of partner enablement strategy at ServiceNow. Douglas Mangeris, a resident of state municipality Loveland, is running as a libertarian candidate.
Buck, who has served as a representative for Colorado’s Congressional District 4 for almost a decade, announced his resignation on March 12, after announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election last November. The Colorado Republican has been an extremely vocal critic of his party, namely of his colleague’s support of former President Donald Trump’s election interference claims. His resignation shrank the GOP’s lead in the House to 218-213, which has been further narrowed to 217-213 since Gallagher announced his resignation on March 22.
Republican committee to select Buck’s likely replacement, adding a challenge to Boebert’s campaign (Associated Press)
How Ken Buck’s Retirement Puts Lauren Boebert’s House Seat In Peril (Forbes)
Another House Republican Is Resigning—Narrowing GOP Edge To One Seat (Forbes)
Who’s running to replace Ken Buck in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District? (Colorado Public Radio)