Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said Wednesday that he would not seek reelection next year, expressing disappointment that many fellow Republicans continue to push the “big lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
“I have decided that it is time for me to do some other things,” Buck said in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “I always have been disappointed with our inability in Congress to deal with major issues, and I’m also disappointed that the Republican Party continues to rely on this lie that the 2020 election was stolen.”
Like Buck, Granger was one of the roughly two dozen Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the speakership last month — and who drew criticism from hard-right parts of the Republican base for doing so. The holdouts ultimately forced Jordan to withdraw from the race, and both Buck and Granger later backed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the leadership position.
On Wednesday, Buck hinted that other Republican lawmakers could soon announce “in the near future” that they would also be leaving Congress.
“[I]mpeachment is a serious matter and should have a foundation of rock-solid facts,” Buck wrote then.
Buck was also one of eight Republican lawmakers who voted with Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership last month. During the Republicans’ struggle to elect a new speaker, Buck steadfastly opposed Jordan over his election denialism.
Way to stay and fight for your country. You helped create this nightmare monster. Now you just walk away. Profile in courage
I have to believe that at some point the average Republican voter is going to get tired of their inability to govern.
Next stop: Book Deal for a cowardly public servant so he can cash in on his spineless bullshit.
Another Republican retiring soon to be replaced by a Trumpitista. Let’s call it for what it is – the TCF – Trump Crime Family party and unless you prostrate yourself before the Trumpista himself, well, the electorate ain’t gonna listen to your message.
Buck’s bucking the trend was probably gonna sink him anyway and he saw the writing on the wall of the Trumpita’s Mar-a-Lago bathroom as he thumbed through Top Secret documents next to the toilet paper dispenser. Ain’t dissing the guy… only sort of.
Benedictus sanctus to the GOP. May you rest in peas.
>On Wednesday, Buck hinted that other Republican lawmakers could soon announce “in the near future” that they would also be leaving Congress.
I mean, I get that those who accept the election have a difficult path in Republican primaries, but to just give up like that without trying? Real class act.
I’ll have to find the quote during the speaker drama from a GOP member that said they may need to accept being in the House minority next round so they could purge everyone except the pure extremists. That could definitely happen with these retirements.
“listen I did my best to enable a dictator and now you are turning on me? I did nazi see that coming” (Ken ‘no self awareness’ Buck)
You voted for the speaker though??
Spineless
Kay Granger just announced she won’t be running either. The moderates are bailing.
Yet he voted for Mike Johnson as speaker…
Weird; Not one Republican office holder who objected to Biden’s victory have objected to their party’s *own* wins on the *same* day, on the *same* ballots using the *same* election systems.
Yet he voted in lockstep with them.
Coward.
“I didn’t do much beyond whine about maga a little bit, and now I’m tired, so I quit! Good luck everybody!”
Become an independent and caucus with the Democrats for the next year if you want to make a difference.
Youre 3 years too late buddy. The time to decry election denialism was in 2020. Now, the literal head of the republican party is an election denier.
Eventually the GOP will reach it’s final form – a white hot, neutron star of hate and ignorance, devoid of all moderation. Just a series of representatives constantly posturing, posing, and doing whatever they need to to get on Fox News or get re-elected as Democrats do the hard work of governance around them, growing increasingly more extreme until eventually they get so extreme they become leftists, proving the political ouroboros is real.
So the coward helped usher in a reign of terror and walks away.
Of course these dipshits could have easily just WORKED ACROSS THE AISLE to raise a speaker that does not deny the 2020 election results. The end result might be the same in that you have to retire from Congress but AT LEAST you didn’t put an election denier in a position to possibly be President one day.
Way to throw a wrench! Vote to approve radical speaker, then quit. Unamerican huh?
This has been happening since the spawn of the Tea Party:
Republican politicians “retire” claiming the party has “left them”, but in reality their constituents weren’t going to re-elect them because they wanted someone more hateful.
So, moderated retire or get primaried and over time the party gets dumber, less talented, but more stubborn and spiteful.
And now, if you don’t actively push for the vision of a Christo-Fascist Unitary Executive (ie a dictator) then you won’t win.
Cut and run republican coward Ken Buck. What a useless person. Be assured that Buck is being well compensated for selling out the USA.
All the adult rats are jumping off the sinking ship…This Christian Nationalist MAGA party is all about throwing a wrench in government. They will refuse to fund the government, defund vital departments, and bring any government business to a halt.
They have already started…No Israeli funding unless we defund the IRS to protect the billionaires…This is just the beginning. They have zero interest in funding the government in a few weeks.
Amazing, he sees the GOP is threatening democracy and he runs away
Didn’t he vote to make an election denier Speaker?
As normal Republicans leave Trump and the far right MAGA Republicans can claim victory
Leaving doesn’t help.
The extreme right is successfully forcing out the moderates in the GOP. That’s not a good thing
Wait didn’t he just help to elect a election denier
30 comments
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said Wednesday that he would not seek reelection next year, expressing disappointment that many fellow Republicans continue to push the “big lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
“I have decided that it is time for me to do some other things,” Buck said in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “I always have been disappointed with our inability in Congress to deal with major issues, and I’m also disappointed that the Republican Party continues to rely on this lie that the 2020 election was stolen.”
Buck’s announcement came hours after Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.) [also said she would not seek reelection](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/01/kay-granger-retiring/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5) next year.
Like Buck, Granger was one of the roughly two dozen Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the speakership last month — and who drew criticism from hard-right parts of the Republican base for doing so. The holdouts ultimately forced Jordan to withdraw from the race, and both Buck and Granger later backed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the leadership position.
On Wednesday, Buck hinted that other Republican lawmakers could soon announce “in the near future” that they would also be leaving Congress.
Buck has clashed with the majority of the Republican conference in recent months, notably for opposing his party’s launch of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. In a September [op-ed for The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/15/congressman-ken-buck-biden-impeachment/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10), Buck criticized the inquiry as one that relied “on an imagined history.”
“[I]mpeachment is a serious matter and should have a foundation of rock-solid facts,” Buck wrote then.
Buck was also one of eight Republican lawmakers who voted with Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership last month. During the Republicans’ struggle to elect a new speaker, Buck steadfastly opposed Jordan over his election denialism.
**Read more, free with email registration:** [**https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/01/ken-buck-leaving-congress/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/01/ken-buck-leaving-congress/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
The purge continues.
Way to stay and fight for your country. You helped create this nightmare monster. Now you just walk away. Profile in courage
I have to believe that at some point the average Republican voter is going to get tired of their inability to govern.
Next stop: Book Deal for a cowardly public servant so he can cash in on his spineless bullshit.
Another Republican retiring soon to be replaced by a Trumpitista. Let’s call it for what it is – the TCF – Trump Crime Family party and unless you prostrate yourself before the Trumpista himself, well, the electorate ain’t gonna listen to your message.
Buck’s bucking the trend was probably gonna sink him anyway and he saw the writing on the wall of the Trumpita’s Mar-a-Lago bathroom as he thumbed through Top Secret documents next to the toilet paper dispenser. Ain’t dissing the guy… only sort of.
Benedictus sanctus to the GOP. May you rest in peas.
>On Wednesday, Buck hinted that other Republican lawmakers could soon announce “in the near future” that they would also be leaving Congress.
I mean, I get that those who accept the election have a difficult path in Republican primaries, but to just give up like that without trying? Real class act.
I’ll have to find the quote during the speaker drama from a GOP member that said they may need to accept being in the House minority next round so they could purge everyone except the pure extremists. That could definitely happen with these retirements.
“listen I did my best to enable a dictator and now you are turning on me? I did nazi see that coming” (Ken ‘no self awareness’ Buck)
You voted for the speaker though??
Spineless
Kay Granger just announced she won’t be running either. The moderates are bailing.
Yet he voted for Mike Johnson as speaker…
Weird; Not one Republican office holder who objected to Biden’s victory have objected to their party’s *own* wins on the *same* day, on the *same* ballots using the *same* election systems.
Yet he voted in lockstep with them.
Coward.
“I didn’t do much beyond whine about maga a little bit, and now I’m tired, so I quit! Good luck everybody!”
Become an independent and caucus with the Democrats for the next year if you want to make a difference.
Youre 3 years too late buddy. The time to decry election denialism was in 2020. Now, the literal head of the republican party is an election denier.
Eventually the GOP will reach it’s final form – a white hot, neutron star of hate and ignorance, devoid of all moderation. Just a series of representatives constantly posturing, posing, and doing whatever they need to to get on Fox News or get re-elected as Democrats do the hard work of governance around them, growing increasingly more extreme until eventually they get so extreme they become leftists, proving the political ouroboros is real.
So the coward helped usher in a reign of terror and walks away.
Of course these dipshits could have easily just WORKED ACROSS THE AISLE to raise a speaker that does not deny the 2020 election results. The end result might be the same in that you have to retire from Congress but AT LEAST you didn’t put an election denier in a position to possibly be President one day.
Way to throw a wrench! Vote to approve radical speaker, then quit. Unamerican huh?
This has been happening since the spawn of the Tea Party:
Republican politicians “retire” claiming the party has “left them”, but in reality their constituents weren’t going to re-elect them because they wanted someone more hateful.
So, moderated retire or get primaried and over time the party gets dumber, less talented, but more stubborn and spiteful.
And now, if you don’t actively push for the vision of a Christo-Fascist Unitary Executive (ie a dictator) then you won’t win.
Cut and run republican coward Ken Buck. What a useless person. Be assured that Buck is being well compensated for selling out the USA.
All the adult rats are jumping off the sinking ship…This Christian Nationalist MAGA party is all about throwing a wrench in government. They will refuse to fund the government, defund vital departments, and bring any government business to a halt.
They have already started…No Israeli funding unless we defund the IRS to protect the billionaires…This is just the beginning. They have zero interest in funding the government in a few weeks.
Amazing, he sees the GOP is threatening democracy and he runs away
Didn’t he vote to make an election denier Speaker?
As normal Republicans leave Trump and the far right MAGA Republicans can claim victory
Leaving doesn’t help.
The extreme right is successfully forcing out the moderates in the GOP. That’s not a good thing
Wait didn’t he just help to elect a election denier