GOP Rep. Ken Buck rejects Lauren Boebert's claim that he's leaving office early to hurt her chances of winning his seat: 'It's ridiculous'
Lauren Boebert isn't thrilled that fellow GOP'er Ken Buck is leaving office earlier than expected.
Boebert, who is running to succeed Buck in Colorado's 4th District, called his decision "swampy."
But Buck dismissed Boebert's assertion, noting that he hasn't sought to influence the GOP primary.
Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck on Thursday rejected any notion that he was retiring before the end of his term to make it more difficult for Rep. Lauren Boebert to succeed him in Congress.
Buck, who has represented the GOP-heavy 4th congressional district since 2015, announced on Tuesday that he would be leaving the House on March 22 — months before he was expected to — after declining to run again in November.
Boebert, who represents the Western Slope-anchored 3rd district and is running to replace Buck in the 4th, said shortly after the congressman's announcement that his decision was "swampy," remarking that the new dynamics of the race could "confuse" voters.
But Buck told The Colorado Sun that Boebert's assertion regarding his decision to step down was "ridiculous."
And Buck said it was "fundamentally unfair" for Boebert to fundraise off the issue by suggesting he's trying to "rig" the election.
The congressman has not tapped a preferred successor in the race.
"I'm not giving anybody an advantage or disadvantage," he told The Sun. "I have done my very best to stay out of this primary election."
A range of GOP candidates — including Boebert — were already running to win the upcoming 4th district primary. But now a special election and a primary will both be held on the same day, June 25.
While GOP primary voters will select their nominee to run in November, a party committee will choose the nominee for the special election. Boebert has chosen only to run in the primary and won't seek the special election nomination.
After Boebert declined to run for reelection in her more politically competitive district, she set her sights on the 4th district, which overwhelmingly backed former President Donald Trump in 2020.
However, despite Boebert's national name recognition, she's now running in a crowded and competitive GOP field with candidates who have local roots in the district — an advantage that she lacks.
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