Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado abruptly announced on Tuesday he would resign from Congress in the coming days but offered no explanation.
The sudden departure of the long-serving House Republican comes after he had already announced just months ago he would not seek re-election at the end of his current term.
In a succinct statement he posted on the social media platform X, Buck said he would be calling it a career after next week.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years,” wrote Buck, 65.
He concluded, “Today. I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week. I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”
Statement from Congressman Ken Buck on his departure from Congress. pic.twitter.com/orjSzenZnv
— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) March 12, 2024
Buck already took many by surprise last November when he announced he would not seek a sixth term representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
Numerous candidates are already running to replace Buck – including current Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert who currently represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
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In a statement announcing the end of his time in Congress late last year, Buck lashed out at the system he was a part of as broken and shared grievances against his fellow Republicans.
Buck said he was grateful to his constituents for helping him fight the left but that he was no longer the man for the job.
He particularly ripped his fellow Republicans for doubting the 2020 election was free and fair.
He also claimed Republican complaints about the “weaponization” of the Justice Department in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion are “insidious” and said, in essence, that the party must move on from “contrived injustices of the past.”
“Our movement has always been fueled by immutable truths about human nature, individual liberty, and economic freedoms,” Buck added.
“The Republican Party of today, however, is ignoring self-evident truths about the rule of law and limited government in exchange for self-serving lies,” he continued.
Buck concluded he would see those who had voted for him in grocery stores and at youth sporting events, and not as a member of the government.
House Republicans began the current session with a slim majority but when Buck retires next week, it will be down to only 218 seats to the Democrats’ 213, according to NBC News.
House Republicans voted last December to expel former congressman George Stantos of New York.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy resigned weeks later former Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio both resigned just three weeks into 2024.
