Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) announced on Jan. 5 that he will not run for re-election—making all GOP districts in Colorado available this year.
“I will not be running for reelection,” the congressman, who has represented the Centennial State’s 5th Congressional District since 2007, told Colorado’s KVOR-AM’s Richard Randall.
“I am going to retire at the end of 2024, so the 5th Congressional District seat will be open, as is the 3rd and the 4th—and I’m not running for either of those two seats, either.”
“I’m not getting any younger,” he added. “I want to spend time with my children, grandchildren, with my wife. I want to look for opportunities to do good.”
Mr. Lamborn’s retirement means there will be no incumbent in the three Colorado districts that are solidly Republican.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who has represented the state’s 4th Congressional District since 2015, is not running for re-election. He has been known to buck his own party especially the House Freedom Caucus, of which he is a member.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who has represented Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District since 2021, is running to succeed Mr. Buck given that her Democrat opponent in 2022, Adam Frisch, came just hundreds of votes short of unseating her.
Mr. Lamborn is the 43rd member of Congress, and the 36th House member, to announce he is not running for re-election and the 20th to announce retirement from Congress, creating an equal number of Republicans and Democrats done with public office at least for now.
In the House, there are 14 Republicans not running for another term, while 22 Democrats are doing the same.
The Congressional retirement announcements come as the 118th Congress has been one of the least productive Congresses in history.
Before serving in Congress, Mr. Lamborn served in the Colorado Senate and Colorado House of Representatives for a combined 12 years.
Mr. Lamborn’s announcement comes one day after Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) stated he would not run for re-election.
“It has been an honor to serve the great people of the 3rd Congressional District and state of Missouri these past several years,” he said in a press release.
“However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for reelection and retire at the end of my term in December,” continued Mr. Luetkemeyer, who has been in Congress since 2009.
“Over the coming months, as I finish up my last term, I look forward to continuing to work with all my constituents on their myriad of issues as well as work on the many difficult and serious problems confronting our great country,” added the congressman.
“There is still a lot to do.”
