A Colorado Republican committee will choose a candidate Thursday to run in the special election to replace Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), creating yet another hurdle for Rep. Lauren Boebert who is fighting to hang on to her congressional seat. 

Buck’s abrupt retirement announcement earlier this month sparked a special election in which a Republican panel will decide on a candidate, likely one of Boebert’s rivals, to finish the rest of his term. Boebert announced she would not be running in the special election to fill his seat and blasted Buck’s early departure, which narrows the House’s already slim majority.

“The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election I’m winning by 25 points,” she said.

The committee will likely choose one of Boebert’s 4th District opponents to run in the special election, which will take place the same day as the primary. Whoever the candidate is, he or she will have an immediate advantage in championing the district due to an increase in media attention and opportunities to fundraise. So far, three Republican candidates already running in the 4th District have confirmed to the Washington Examiner that they will be running in the special election.

This could make it tougher on Boebert to rely simply on her high-profile and national reputation as a hard-liner. 

Each party’s vacancy committee will choose one candidate on Thursday to run in the special election, which will take place on June 25. Given it’s a red district, the Republican candidate is expected to prevail. 

Boebert is vying for Buck’s 4th Congressional District seat in November after announcing she will not be running for reelection in her 3rd District, fueling critics to write her off as a “carpetbagger.” 

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“Ken Buck really threw a wrench into the whole thing,” Seth Masket, director at the Center on American Politics in Denver, told the Associated Press. “It was already a fairly topsy-turvy race, but I think this does make it a little bit harder for her.”

Her district switch has led to several challenges for the firebrand, who will have to lean into her strong Republican values and the power of former President Donald Trump’s support in order to persuade the 4th District’s more traditional voters despite a past riddled with domestic violence allegations and scandals.