Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

On Friday, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) secured the top spot for the GOP primary to replace former Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) after winning the highest amount of delegates in the district assembly. 

Boebert is currently running for a full term in Buck’s district rather than her current one, and received support from 41% of the 527 delegates, putting her squarely at the top of the ballot. 

“Honored to have won the support and trust of CD4 Delegates as the LY Republican to qualify through the Assembly process today,” Boebert posted to X. “I kept my word and I will make you proud!”

In March, Buck announced his intent to retire from Congress, following through before the end of the month. 

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years. Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” Buck wrote in a release on March 12. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”

Buck’s abrupt departure prompted a special election for his seat to finish out the term. Boebert is not eligible to run for the special election due to her being a current member of Congress, and her current representation of a different district.

However, a candidate in the special election, former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, intends to finish Buck’s term only, and not hold onto the seat past the next election, allowing Boebert to run for that seat in the primary. 

Lopez won the special election’s primary and is expected to win the seat due to the conservative leanings of the district. 

The assembly process is one of three ways candidates can qualify for the ballot. Another involves securing enough signatures on a petition, and securing enough support from delegates in the assembly, requiring 10% of delegate support and 1,500 signatures. 

Candidates can also qualify by simply clearing 1,500 signatures, or by securing enough delegate support. But in order to qualify solely by delegates at the assembly, they need to secure 30% of the vote, which Boebert was able to do handily.

The reasoning behind Buck's decision to retire from Congress is not fully known. Buck spoke with CBS News after leaving, telling them that he would be continuing to support the party from the sidelines. 

Buck has repeatedly clashed with former President Donald Trump and his supporters, so-called MAGA Republicans, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has labeled Buck as a “CNN Wannabe.”

“I'm resigning my seat and creating a vacancy in my district,” Buck told CNN’s Dana Bash after announcing his retirement. “Everywhere I go in Colorado, Dana, I hear that people are not happy with Trump, and they're not happy with [President Joe] Biden. And I think we need to change our electoral laws here. And I have a passion for that.”

When asked if those clashes played into his decision to retire, Buck told CBS that he was aware that he would likely face challenges from other Republicans, but that did not factor into his decision to retire.

“I have never backed down from a fight and I never will back down from a fight,” Buck said.

Buck argued that his party changed around him, rather than him, and said that his decisions were guided by the constitution, not the Republican caucus. 

“I came here to represent conservatives. And I'm going to stay in that lane and not try to justify my position,” he said. “I'm not here to lie to my voters. I'm not here to lie to Coloradans or Americans. I'm here to follow the Constitution. It is the rulebook we should abide by in Congress.”

Boebert said she was seeking Buck’s seat rather than her current seat to avoid a repeat of the last election, and, should she win the primary, is expected to win the seat in November.