WASHINGTON — Gov. Jared Polis announced a special election to replace Congressman Ken Buck will take place on June 25, the same day as Colorado's primary election.
The governor's office issued an executive order Saturday to set the date for the election to fill the seat of the retiring Republican representing Colorado's Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In November, Buck said that he would not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2024 after serving nine years. His resignation was effective as of Friday.
Colorado law requires a special election no less than 85 days and no more than 100 days after an election position becomes vacant.
The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Buck's term through January when the seat is filled by the winner of November's general election.
Buck was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 and was serving on the House Judiciary Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee at the time of his resignation.
Earlier this month, Rep. Lauren Boebert criticized Buck for his early retirement and said she would not participate in the special election, even though she abandoned her re-election bid in Colorado's Third Congressional District to instead run in Buck's solidly Republican district.
"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 said on social media.
At least two of Boebert's Republican primary rivals, former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and conservative commentator Deborah Flora, both said they will pursue their party's special election nomination.
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