Tuesday’s surprise announcement from Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., that he’s leaving Congress next week adds to the rush of House members fleeing even before their terms have ended. Buck’s announcement, which even shocked his colleagues, highlights how the war to control the House is about more than which party holds the most seats. It is a war of attrition, where the country’s path will be determined by those most willing to withstand the chaos that has become a mainstay on Capitol Hill.
Buck had already announced that he was going to be one of the 21 House Republicans who wouldn’t be seeking to retain their seat after this term. But his early exit triggers a special election in Colorado, one that will give whoever wins it a likely advantage to help hold the conservative district seat in November.
With 24 Democrats expected to leave their seats in January, it’d be easy to think that the urge to ditch Congress cuts almost evenly across the aisle. But half of those Democrats are stepping down to run for another office. In comparison, Buck is one of 15 Republicans who are simply calling it quits. (There’s also one GOP incumbent so far, Rep. Jerry Carl of Alabama, who won’t return because he lost his primary race after redistricting.)
As baffling as it may be to say, Buck, a longtime member of the Freedom Caucus, is leaving Congress as one of the more reasonable members of his party. His stepping down narrows the already minuscule majority that Republicans have. Until his seat is filled, the GOP will only be able to withstand two defections before an initiative falls in the face of a united Democratic caucus. As we’ve repeatedly seen in numerous failed votes, there are far more than two Republicans who are happy to procedurally flip off leadership for not being conservative enough. Illnesses and absences will make that tenuous grasp on power even more apparent, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to constantly check attendance before bringing partisan…
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