Lauren Boebert Blasts "Selfish" Ken Buck, Calls Resignation a "Swampy Backroom Deal to Rig Election"

Speaking in a live "special announcement" today, March 13, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert tore into outgoing CD4 rep Ken Buck for resigning from Congress, saying it was a move to stop her candidacy in CD4 and "rig the election in Colorado."

"Ken Buck's announcement yesterday was a gift to the uniparty," Boebert blasted in a Rumble livestream this morning. "The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election — an election that I'm winning by 25 points — forcing an unnecessary special election. When? The same day as the primary election in Colorado. And this will confuse voters, and it will result in a lame duck congressman on day one and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months."

Boebert's camp sent out a written statement during the livestream, echoing her comments about "the establishment" and the "uniparty," while also announcing that she'd be keeping her seat in CD3 for the time being instead of running in the special election for Buck's seat. However, she veered away from that message several times during the video to call out Buck.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," Boebert said on Rumble. "I believe that this is selfish. We already have this extremely razor-thin majority, and now Ken Buck has said that he's resigning next week on March 22 and the 4th District will go three months without a voice in Washington, D.C."

Buck's announcement that he would be resigning came on Tuesday, March 12, and tossed a huge wrench into the Colorado Republican Party's plans. Initially, GOP voters had been tasked with choosing the Republican candidate to replace Buck in CD4 (as well as Boebert's replacement in the CD3 race) in the June 25 primary. Now they will be voting in a special election to immediately fill Buck's vacant seat on June 25, as well as voting in the primary for the Republican who will be on the November ballot.

“These unique situations are a good reminder of how the party plays an essential role in our democratic process," says GOP Chair Dave Williams in a statement to Westword. "We wish Ken Buck good health and prosperity for the next chapter in his life, and look forward to filling this vacancy quickly so House Republicans can continue having the numbers to deliver for Americans in Congress.”

During her Rumble stream, Boebert — who recently dropped a restraining order she filed against her ex-husband, Jayson, following incidents that led to his arrest — declared that "Colorado's 4th District deserves better," and said she was going to be the one to give that district what it deserves by winning the primary and general elections. "I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my currency and Colorado's 3rd District," Boebert explained. "I will continue to deliver on my constituents' priorities while working hard to earn the votes of the people in Colorado's 4th District, who have made very, very clear that they are hungry for a real conservative who represents their values, who stands for them, who will not back down. And I am the only Trump-endorsed America First candidate in this race. And I will win the 4th District's primary election on June 25. And, of course, the general election on November 5."

The Rumble video was Boebert's first "test run" of the online streaming platform, and it gave her the opportunity to answer questions from the public, including one about her controversial move to CD4 from CD3 in December.

"It's no secret that we have had some troubles at home," she told viewers. "I went through a turbulent divorce. ... We have moved to the northeast part of Colorado and it's wonderful. The community has been so welcoming to me and my boys. We are making our house a home together. There's so much peace and joy and laughter. Playing UNO until 11 p.m., midnight with my boys just about every night; they campaign with me; I'm home and cooking dinners with them. ... It's beautiful."

A poll from Kaplan Strategies last month showed that 46 percent of GOP voters in CD4 would not vote for someone who switched districts. However, Boebert — who came in fifth in a January straw poll following the first CD4 Republican debate — led all GOP candidates when it came to whom voters would ultimately choose to represent them, chosen by 32 percent of those surveyed.

"This is me telling you I'm not going anywhere," Boebert said on Rumble. "I am not going to put my constituents in the 3rd District in a bind, leaving them also without representation by resigning. I'm going to continue on to the primary, and the 4th District and the uniparty, they can have their special election. Congratulations, put in your Ukraine First candidate. 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. A Republican will win that special election, and they can sit there for six months and do whatever it is they may do."

A number of Boebert's rivals in CD4 have said they will be running in the special election, including former state senator Jerry Sonnenberg, who won the district's first straw poll back in January and was voted by a majority of the candidates as the person they'd want to see win the seat other than themselves.

"This new vacancy doesn't change my race, nor my commitment to proving to Republican voters why I am the strongest conservative voice to serve them in Washington," Sonnenberg said in a statement March 12. "I look forward to earning this nomination and getting to D.C. as soon as possible so that we can secure our border, defend our constitutional rights, and hold Joe Biden and this administration accountable for their repeated failures."

Buck's explanation for resigning was that dysfunction in Congress over the past few months and years — stemming from fights over lawmaking issues, unqualified leaders and the Biden presidency, among other things — had led to a reported "breakdown in civility."

"I have witnessed this for a while," Buck told reporters in D.C. "We are seeing a breakdown in civility, a breakdown of, really, priorities in terms of what the American people want."

Buck had announced in November that he wouldn't be seeking reelection in CD4, citing similar issues and his concern regarding the Republican Party's continued attacks on the U.S. election process and repeated claims that the 2020 election was "rigged." Another frustration for Buck has been the allegation that January 6 demonstrators are political scapegoats being punished for something that was staged by Democrats.

"Everybody who thinks that the election was stolen or talks about the elections being stolen is lying to America," Buck charged in a Face the Nation appearance in late November. "Everyone who makes the argument that January 6 was, you know, an unguided tour of the Capitol is lying to America. Everyone who says that the prisoners are being prosecuted right now for their involvement in January 6, that they are somehow political prisoners or that they didn't commit crimes, those folks are lying to America."

In a statement issued on March 12, Governor Jared Polis thanked Buck for his years of public service, saying he wished him "all the best" in his next chapter. "From his time as Weld County District Attorney to his time in Congress, he has shown his deep commitment to improve public safety and to serve our nation," Polis said.

As for what's next, Buck told reporters that he's interested in having a hand in how political candidates are selected at all levels of government. "I just feel there is important work to be done concerning the election and how we choose candidates," he said, according to the Associated Press. "So I want to get involved in this election cycle and make sure we choose the best candidate."