Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) caught Republican leadership off guard when he announced he would leave Congress next week.
The Colorado Republican had already announced his intention to retire after nine years in office, but Politico politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" his departure came as a complete surprise to House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
"No, he was blindsided, as was Steve Scalise, the No. 2 in the House leadership," Martin said. "Ken Buck has not been happy for a long time. It kind of reflects the sort of radicalization of somebody in Ken Buck, who came to some level of prominence running as a Tea Party candidate in 2010, which feels like the ice age for the U.S. Senate, a political outsider who gets to the House, has done 10 years in the House."
So far, 23 GOP lawmakers – including several influential committee chairs – have either decided not to seek re-election or resigned early from a 118th Congress that has been wracked by dysfunction, power struggles and divisiveness, and Buck has been outspoken in his frustration with the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and other legislative priorities.
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"He has come to the conclusion, as quite a few folks have in the House at this point in time, this place is not not worth it anymore, and Buck realized that and decided not to run," Martin said. "But he's so frustrated now he says, 'Take this job and shove it – I'm leaving next week.' It's an extreme version of where a lot of people are in the House. He just says it out loud."
Buck's departure further shrinks the GOP's slim majority, meaning Republicans can spare only two votes on legislative matters before needing Democrats to back their measures, and that further complicates Rep. Lauren Boebert's campaign to replace him as Colorado's representative for the 4th congressional district, according to the Colorado Sun.
Boebert had switched districts after Buck announced his impending retirement to avoid a stiff challenge from Democrat Adam Frisch in the 3rd district, but Buck's immediate departure will set up a special election in which the state Republican and Democratic parties will choose a nominee – and there's no guarantee they'll pick the controversial Boebert.
Further complicating matters, Boebert would have to resign her seat in the 3rd district to run in that special election because Colorado law prohibits a candidate from running for more than one office at a time, and her resignation would set up yet another U.S. House special election before the end of the year.
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