Ken Buck's alleged plot to keep Lauren Boebert from taking his seat 'backfires' thanks to local GOP

Former Rep. Ken Buck's alleged plot to keep Rep. Lauren Boebert from taking her seat in Colorado has unraveled as Republicans picked a special election candidate who won't run against her in the primary.

Instead of Buck's retirement disproving Boebert, this apparently it just gave him a boost towards being elected. He left Congress last week in what appears to be an attempt to force Boebert to choose between running in a special election to replace him or working to win the primary in his district. The move backfired Thursday when Buck was outvoted by state Republicans.

Boebert had previously announced that he would not run again in his Colorado 3 district and would instead run in Colorado 4 for a “fresh start” after a series of personal problems and scandals that produced salacious headlines. It appears that Buck had hoped that another Republican would win the special election and then run against Boebert as the incumbent. That didn't happen.

A GOP panel shocked the Colorado media Thursday night by choosing former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez to run as the Republican candidate in the special election. He was one of nine who ran for office, but only one of two who said they would not run for re-election. It will basically keep Boebert's seat warm.

“Fmr Rep. Ken Buck's bid to resign backfired. A GOP committee didn't pick an establishment successor to fill his seat until January, opting for a placeholder backed by Rep. Lauren Boebert that he is not challenging her for the GOP nomination in June Colorado anchor Kyle Clark posted on X.

The resignation bid of the representative of the Fmr Ken Buck was backfired. A GOP committee did not choose an establishment successor to fill her seat until January, opting for a placeholder backed by Rep. Lauren Boebert who is not challenging her for the GOP nomination in June. #CO4 #copolitics

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) March 29, 2024

“I'm not looking to run for office, and I'm just looking to serve out the last six months of this term,” Lopez said, according to Colorado Public Radio. “Tonight, it's not about giving an individual advantage over your competition.”

“Greg knows a lot of people from when he ran for office,” said Tom Wiens, who is the leader of the 4th District Central Committee. Denver Post in an interview “He got a lot of goodwill from all over the state. People knew him and trusted him.”

Boebert won re-election in 2022, and since then has been incumbent after incumbent her husband, his sonand their own behavior.

The congresswoman is a staunch supporter of former President Trump. He sent a letter to the panel that chose the special election candidate asking for a placeholder so that he would not “influence the regular primary election in a way that would taint the entire process and give that candidate an unfair advantage.” Obviously, the panel heard her and agreed.

Buck has denied conspiracy and planning against Boebert But his timing to retire seems suspect to many Republicans. Boebert has accused him and “the establishment of making a bogus rejection deal to try to rig an election” against her.

Congratulations to Greg Lopez, who will be a great MP to finish out the remainder of Ken BUCKLE's term! Greg stepped up with a servant heart and a leadership mindset with accountability as his driving force.

THANK YOU to the members of the Vacancy Committee who have put…

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 29, 2024

Boebert criticized Buck for suddenly leaving Congress, saying, “Forcing an unnecessary special election on the same day as the primary election will confuse voters, result in a lame-duck congressman on the first day, and leave the 4th District without representation for more than three years. months,” the Denver Post reported.

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.

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