Greg Lopez, former mayor of Parker, Colorado, was selected as the Republican nominee in a June 25 special election to fill the rest of Rep. Ken Buck's term.
The Denver Post reported that Lopez — who failed in runs for Colorado governor in 2018 and 2022 — had vowed not to compete in the 4th Congressional District's district's Republican primary election, leaving a field of nine GOP candidates, including Rep. Lauren Boebert. Lopez told local media that he was surprised by the results Thursday.
Lopez beat out Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg in the sixth and final round of voting Thursday, the newspaper reported. Lopez will run against whomever Democrats pick next week to be their nominee for the special election in the 4th District.
"Greg knows a lot of people from when he ran for office," Tom Wiens, leader of the 4th District's central committee, told the Denver Post. "He garnered a lot of goodwill from around the state. People knew him and trusted him."
The selection by a vacancy committee was triggered by Buck's unexpected decision to leave Congress nine months before his term was to end.
Boebert, who opted out of the special election, is still on the ballot for the 4th District GOP primary election.
Democrat Gov. Jared Polis set the special election on the same day as the primary.
According to the Denver Post, Boebert collected enough signatures to get onto the June primary ballot, along with conservative radio host Deborah Flora.
Boebert had blasted Buck for ditching Congress, saying "forcing an unnecessary special election on the same day as the primary election will confuse voters, result in a lame duck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months," the Denver Post reported.
The vast 4th Congressional District, which covers the mostly rural eastern third of Colorado, has become a focus of political watchers, mostly because of Buck's decision against running for a sixth term and then pulling out early, the Denver Post reported.
Buck's retirement announcement prompted Boebert to switch her district from the 3rd Congressional district, where she faced a tough race against her Democrat opponent.