Topline
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) won’t seek reelection next year, pointing to the Republican Party’s reliance “on this lie that the 2020 election was stolen” and the “January 6 narrative,” he said on MSNBC, making him the second GOP member to announce their retirement from Congress on Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) casts his vote as the House of Representatives holds its second round of … [+]
Key Facts
Buck announced his decision to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, attributing his retirement, in part, to his disappointment with the “inability in Congress to deal with major issues” and the GOP’s claims that convicted January 6 rioters are “political prisoners.”
In a subsequent video news release, Buck, 64, said “too many Republican leaders are lying to America claiming that the 2020 election was stolen.”
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), 80, and the first female Republican House member from Texas elected in 1997, also announced Wednesday she will retire from Congress, citing the need for “the next generation to step up and take the mantle.”
The retirements come on the heels of a tumultuous GOP-led search to find a replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)—Buck was one of the eight Republicans who voted alongside Democrats to remove him last month and both he and Granger were among the 20-some Republicans who opposed right-wing firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) speaker bid.
Crucial Quote
“Americans are rightfully concerned about our nation’s future and are looking to Republicans in Washington for a course correction, but their hope for Republicans to take decisive action may be in vain,” Buck said. “Our nation is on a collision course with reality and a steadfast commitment to truth, even uncomfortable truths, is the only way forward.”
Key Background
Buck represents a district covering eastern Colorado and was first elected to Congress in 2014 after a failed run for Senate in 2010. A former federal and state prosecutor, Buck is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus who voted alongside some of its other members to remove McCarthy on the grounds that he did not adhere to his promise to cut federal spending, among other grievances. He cited Jordan’s refusal to admit President Joe Biden won the 2020 election in voting against him for speaker after ousting McCarthy. He ended up backing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), however, despite Johnson having played a prominent role in contesting the results of the 2020 election. Buck has also cast doubts on the merits of the GOP-led impeachment probe into President Joe Biden. Buck is among several Republicans in Congress who have cited fractures within the party in announcing they won’t run for reelection, including Rep. Debbie Lesko (Ariz.), who announced her decision not to seek another term amid the speaker race, and Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah), who cited the “various resentments” within the “Trump wing of the party,” including “revisiting the 2020 election,” in announcing his decision.
Further Reading
Mitt Romney Says He’s Not Running For Reelection In Senate (Forbes)
McCarthy Ousted: First House Speaker Ever Booted From The Job (Forbes)
Jim Jordan Loses First Round Of House Speaker Election As 20 Republicans Defect (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/01/gop-rep-ken-buck-says-he-wont-seek-reelection-citing-lie-that-the-2020-election-was-stolen/