In an opinion piece in The New York Times on Wednesday headlined “One Thing Keeping Democrats Up at Night,” Thomas B. Edsall explained that American politics is undergoing a significant racial realignment. According to him, this fall’s election is poised to see the largest shift of nonwhite voters away from Democrats since the Civil Rights Act passed.
Edsall wrote that he spoke to data analyst Adam Carlson, who said that while the trends did not suggest a full-scale conversion, the realignment label would be accurate if November’s results matched the current polling data.
It feels as if the pendulum, having swung as far left as it could go, is finally swinging in the other direction.
For many conservatives, the realignment swing might have begun earlier but increased in momentum under former President Donald Trump.
A large portion of the conservative base started to realize that GOP leaders’ act of bending over backward to please Democratic voters in the hope of gaining votes only resulted in a party with a broken back.
Enough is never enough for the Democrats, and Republicans in party leadership — at least a portion of them — have finally started straightening up.
But change is not for everyone.
The realignment momentum, whether it fully materializes this year or not, is prompting some long-term GOP incumbents to reconsider their future in the party.
Members who were part of the old “wheel pose” mold of Republicans are finding themselves philosophically out of step with the party’s new direction.
Rep. Ken Buck is one example.
On March 12, the Colorado Republican announced that he would be resigning from the House effective Friday.
Statement from Congressman Ken Buck on his departure from Congress. pic.twitter.com/orjSzenZnv
— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) March 12, 2024
Buck had previously said that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term but then changed his mind and resigned, further crippling the House as it tries to hold control with an increasingly slim majority, according to CBS News.
Speaking to reporters after his resignation, Buck attacked the House GOP for its decision to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and for the impeachment probe of President Joe Biden.
He also accused the Republicans of “election denialism” regarding former President Donald Trump’s loss to Biden in the 2020 election, according to The Hill.
On Thursday, one day before leaving Congress, Buck “dealt one final blow” to the party by becoming the first GOP member to sign onto the Democrats’ discharge petition for a vote on $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, Axios reported.
Rep. Ken Buck on Thursday dealt one final blow to House Republican leadership one day before leaving Congress by signing Democrats’ foreign aid discharge petition. https://t.co/NYJX9mQzA8
— Axios (@axios) March 21, 2024
With his name added, the petition was up to 188 signatures, with a total of 218 needed to force a vote.
Since many Democrats have said they will not sign the bill, Buck’s gesture was largely symbolic but still a slap in the face to the Republican Party.
House rules allow his signature to count until he is replaced in a special election.
Buck also signed a competing petition by Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and other centrists, but that one has only 16 signatures so far, Axios reported.
Will Republicans gain seats in the House in November?
Fellow Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert criticized the congressman on social media.
“In one of his last acts as a Congressman, Ken Buck signed on to the Democrat discharge petition to give Ukraine even more of your money!” she said in an X post on Thursday.
“Odd, because I’ve been traveling all around the Fourth District and haven’t yet seen the part that borders on Kyiv,” Boebert said.
In one of his last acts as a Congressman, Ken Buck signed on to the Democrat discharge petition to give Ukraine even more of your money!
Odd, because I’ve been traveling all around the Fourth District and haven’t yet seen the part that borders on Kyiv.
Makes sense thats he’s…
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 21, 2024
Although Buck’s resignation makes life more difficult for House Republicans, reducing their already razor-thin majority to 218 versus 213 Democrats, in many ways, it seemed like he was already on the wrong side of the party.
A few days ago, the conservative House Freedom Caucus voted to oust Buck.
One member of the caucus told The Hill that he had not attended its meetings for months and that he had not been in “good standing” with them.
As the party gets ready for a major “realignment,” it’s only natural for some dead weights to drop off.
Buck doesn’t believe he fits into the new image of the party anymore, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
It’s a breakup that is long past its time.
