And dropping Mr. Buck, who has damaged along with his occasion on some main points — together with the current impeachment of Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland safety secretary — was not precisely seen as costing the occasion a loyal vote.
However Mr. Buck’s resolution to go away months earlier than the tip of his time period on March 22, the identical day because the deadline for Congress to move a package deal of spending payments to keep away from a partial authorities shutdown, creates one more headache for Home Republicans who’ve lurched from chaos to disaster for greater than a yr, leaving them with even much less of a cushion to wield their small majority.
Shortly after Mr. Buck’s announcement, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado stated a particular election to fill his seat can be held on June 25, aligning with an already scheduled main for congressional elections within the state.
That leaves a number of months between Mr. Buck’s exit and the swearing-in of a brand new, probably Republican, consultant.
Republicans at the moment can afford solely two defections on party-line votes, a margin that won’t change with Mr. Buck’s departure. However his exit will make the Republican majority much more precarious than it already is, and extra susceptible to inevitable absences brought on by private emergencies, sickness, journey delays and every other unexpected occasion that might stop a member from being current on the Home flooring for votes.