Rep. Ken Buck’s (R-CO) early retirement will spark a special congressional election in Colorado for the first time in over 40 years, placing declared GOP primary candidates at a crossroads as they determine whether or not to run and finish the rest of the Freedom Caucus member’s term.

Shortly after Buck announced his early retirement, with his last day set for March 22, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) ordered that the special election be held on June 25 to coincide with the 2024 primary election for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, the state’s reddest.

Buck had announced in November last year that he would not seek reelection in 2024, causing an outpouring of Republican candidates filing to replace him, including Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who opted not to run for reelection to keep her seat in the 3rd District, where she would have faced a competitive Democratic opponent.

What is the process for Colorado’s special election? 

In a special election, one candidate is allowed to run per party. Candidates who are already in the primary race can put themselves forward for the special election without forfeiting their place in the full-term election.

Republican state Rep. Richard Holtorf and current 4th District candidate said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that the district’s Republican parties will assemble a vacancy committee comprised of three members per county party, amounting to 60 or 70 people. They will likely convene sometime shortly after March 22, he said, following Buck’s departure from Congress.

Then, interested GOP members will ask to be nominated, and the party’s vacancy committee will select who will be their candidate for the special election. Given the 4th District is a solid red seat, the nominated Republican candidate will likely win on June 25 and serve out the remainder of Buck’s term through the new year.

The only other special election held in Colorado’s recent history occurred in 1982, when Jack Swigert was elected to represent the 6th District, but he died before being sworn in. Rep. Daniel Schaefer won a special election to serve out Swigert’s term, and he continued to serve as the 6th District’s representative until 1999.

Who is officially running in the special election?

Holtorf, conservative KNUS radio show host Deborah Flora, and Justin Schreiber have confirmed they are running in the special election to serve out the remainder of Buck’s term. 

Flora said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, that she is “all in.”

“Our district can’t afford a placeholder in Congress,” Flora said. “We need new leadership—instead of business as usual—to get to work advancing conservative principles and real solutions on Day One.”

Holtorf told the Washington Examiner he would be running on a “dual track” and run in the special election and the primary on June 25. He said that Buck’s resignation affects “every candidate for CD-4” directly and attributed his early retirement to wanting to “box out Boebert.”

Holtorf said he thinks he is the best option for the 4th District because he can bring “veteran leadership to Congress” and expertise to various committees as a third-generation cattle rancher.

“There’s less than 18% of congressmen and women that are veterans. And we desperately need veteran leadership at a time when we have so many problems internationally and domestically, particularly in the southern border,” he said. “I’m ready to serve day one on the Armed Services Committee.”

Rancher Jerry Sonnenberg, who is also a candidate for the 4th District, said in a post to X that Buck’s vacancy will not alter the way his campaign operates. He did not specify if he would put his name forward for the special election to be the Republican nominee. 

“Several months ago, I announced I’d be running to represent the 4th district in the U.S House of Representatives,” Sonnenberg said in a post to X. “This new vacancy doesn’t change my race, nor my commitment to proving to Republicans voters why I am the strongest conservative voice to serve them in Washington.”

Schreiber confirmed to the Washington Examiner he is participating in the special election and the full-term primary election.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Sonnenberg, Peter Yu, and Chris Phelen to ask if they will be participating in the special election process.

Boebert not running in special election

Boebert announced on Wednesday that she would not be running to serve out the remainder of Buck’s term in the special election, stating that she is “not leaving my constituents in the 3rd District.”

When asked if she still plans to run for the 4th District, she said yes.

“I’m winning the primary and the general in the 4th,” Boebert said.

Boebert faced a crossroads once Buck announced he was leaving at the end of next week. If she had decided to run for the special election and won it, she would have needed to resign her 3rd District seat, which would have created a vacancy and likely led to a Democratic pickup, further narrowing the House majority.

Polling from Kaplan Strategies on Feb. 25 found Boebert leading the GOP primary race for the 4th District with 32%. However, almost 50% of District primary voters are “uncertain.” 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The congresswoman was the only primary candidate to receive double digits, with the second-place finisher being Lynch, Colorado’s former House minority leader who resigned at the beginning of 2024 after news broke he was arrested on a DUI charge in 2022. He raked in 7% of the vote, followed by Holtorf, Flora, and Yu with 3%.

The last time a Democrat won the 4th District was in 2008, but she served for one term before the district flipped back to red — so before Buck retired, whichever Republican won the primary election in June was likely on track to win the general election in November. Now, because Boebert is not running in the special election, it sets Boebert up for a member vs. member race that is not often seen in congressional races and could cost her her congressional career.