(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn announced his retirement Friday in a surprise move on a local radio show.
The announcement from Lamborn, who represents Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, comes after fellow Republican Rep. Ken Buck said in November he would not run again to represent the 4th District. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert last week announced she’s switching from the 3rd District to running for the seat opened by Buck’s retirement.
“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,” Lamborn told KVOR host Richard Randall, noting he’s not running for either of those seats.
Lamborn said he wants to spend more time with family and “look for opportunities to do good.”
The Colorado Springs Republican was first elected to represent the district in 2006. Democratic U.S. Rep. Diane DeGette is the only current member of Colorado’s delegation to hold office longer than Lamborn.
The 5th District covers Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second largest city, and El Paso County. The district includes Fort Carson Army Base, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, Peterson Space Force Base, and Schriever Space Force Base, as well as numerous defense industry contractors.
This story is developing and may be updated.