The pending retirement of Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), announced Tuesday, will slim even further the already dwindling Republican majority in the House of Representatives and make it even more difficult for the party to pass legislation.
Buck’s retirement will vacate a fourth seat that was held by Republicans when the 118th Congress convened in January 2023. Since then, one member, former Rep. George Santos, a Republican, was expelled from office and replaced by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY). Two others, former Reps. Bill Johnson and Kevin McCarthy resigned and have yet to be replaced in special elections.
Having entered this Congress with a razor-thin majority, House Republicans are now faced with dealing with a conference that is clinging to a one-seat majority and may struggle to pass legislation. While all three vacant seats are in districts that Republicans should win handily, the slimmed majority raises the prospect of Democrats taking control of the chamber without ever winning an election.
The seat once held by McCarthy is likely not to be filled until the end of May, and the seats held by Johnson and Buck will not be filled until at least a month later. This means that the Republican majority will not be back to full strength until July, and even one defection could lead to more chaos in a chamber that has been wrought with it from before it was sworn in.
To put it bluntly, Buck’s departure is a gift to Democrats. While his exit will not give the minority party full control of the chamber, it will further weaken the hand of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) by making it even more difficult to pass legislation on party-line votes.
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Buck’s entire 2023-2024 term has been one of chaos. He joined the small group of Republicans that ousted McCarthy from the speakership last October, opposed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for his replacement, and forced Johnson to reschedule a vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Last year, he publicly said he was negotiating with CNN on a contributor contract once he left office.
For someone who had already announced he was not running for reelection, there was no reason for this early resignation. Given his track record of erratic behavior, one could easily conclude that he wants a Democratic House. And with his resignation, he may functionally deliver one.