Colorado’s 4 Congressional District Fight for Former Congressman Buck’s Vacant Seat  

Posted by Madeline Robertson on April 5, 2024

Greg Lopez

On March 22, Congressman Buck from Colorado’s 4th Congressional District (CO-4) resigned abruptly, triggering a special election to fill his vacant seat for the remainder of his term.  

Last week in the small town of Hugo, a panel of Republicans chose former Parker city Mayor Greg Lopez as the Republican nominee to fill former Congressman Buck’s seat for the last few months of his term.  

Earlier this week, Democrats selected Trisha Calvarese as their nominee to run against Greg Lopez. Calvarese is a first-time congressional candidate.  

As you may know, CO-4 is the district that Congresswoman Lauren Boebert will seek in the upcoming primary election has as she hopes to make a switch from her current CO-3 seat. CO-4 is considered by political pundits as a “solidly Republican” district, but it several Republican leaders are vying for the CO-4 seat, and it will be a challenge for Rep. Boebert to runaway with the election.  

Lopez’s win is seen by many as somewhat of a political ploy to help Rep. Boebert gain an easier path to winning the seat in the upcoming election. Lopez considers himself a “placeholder” candidate and has pledged not to run for the seat in the primary. This opens a less challenging path for Boebert, as the other Republicans candidates vying for the seat won’t be a “sitting” Member of Congress, as they approach the Primary, giving Boebert a perceived advantage over other candidates; however, the current CO-3 District Representative still faces a host of strong Republican candidates in the June primary. Although both candidates have publicly denied that there was a plan devised for Lopez to act as a placeholder for Boebert, there are several Colorado Republicans crying foul in how the process and location for candidate selection was carried out.  

The special election to fill the seat vacated by Congressman Buck will take place on June 25, which is the same day as the GOP primary. Six of the nine candidates for the special election are also running in the GOP primary, creating a very interesting political and election landscape.  

As we get closer to the election cycle, stay tuned for more information regarding election information and candidates within the GoWest footprint.  

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Colorado Advocacy.