By Olivia Beavers | Politico
Ken Buck faced fire from two unlikely corners as he left Congress last week — ejected from the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus and taking blows from Rep. Lauren Boebert, who is running to replace him.
But the Colorado Republican isn’t retaliating. In an interview with POLITICO Friday, the last day he was a congressman, Buck continued to insist he was leaving due to the House’s dysfunctional and toxic environment, describing it as the worst he’s seen over the course of his five terms in office.
That hasn’t stopped Boebert from publicly speculating that he had another motivation for an early exit: She has indicated on the online video platform Rumble that he wanted to screw up her chances of winning his seat in November. The timing of his retirement undeniably complicates her bid — Boebert would have to give up her seat to run in a special election, which she opted not to do, meaning she’ll have to face a newly-elected incumbent in November.