Republicans Somehow Find Worst Possible Nominee to Replace Ken Buck

The man who will likely temporarily replace Representative Ken Buck in Congress has a history of frightening run-ins with the law.

A Republican committee on Thursday chose Greg Lopez, the former mayor of Parker, Colorado, as the party nominee for the upcoming special election to replace Buck. Buck, who left Congress last week, represented Colorado’s 4th district, a Republican stronghold. While Lopez’s victory was a surprise, his nomination almost guarantees he will be the one to complete Buck’s term.

If Lopez wins, it will be his first victory in a while. He ran for Colorado governor in 2018 and 2022, but he lost both times during the primaries.

Aside from struggling with elections, Lopez has also struggled with the law. He is open about his past encounters with law enforcement, which include being arrested for driving under the influence. Lopez has said he can’t remember when that happened.

But the most frightening instance occurred in 1993, when Lopez and his wife, Lisa, were both charged with domestic violence. He allegedly shoved Lisa, who was six months pregnant at the time, to the floor and kicked her after she hit him on the top of the head. They each pleaded guilty to a single charge of harassment.

Reporter Kyle Clark asked Lopez about the domestic assault in 2022, comparing it to Lopez’s anti-abortion stance in that both involve “exerting control over a woman’s body.” Lopez hastily insisted the domestic violence “wasn’t a violent situation.”

“There’s only been one perfect man that’s ever walked this earth, and we nailed him to the cross,” Lopez said. “I’m not a perfect man. I’ve made my mistakes. But I’ve learned from them.”

Lopez also paid $15,000 in 2020 to settle a lawsuit filed by federal prosecutors who accused him of trying to improperly influence the Small Business Administration, a violation of federal law. Lopez worked at the SBA from 2008 to 2014 as the Colorado district attorney, and his alleged attempts to influence the organization occurred after he had left.

Lopez has backed banning abortion with no exceptions and falsely claimed that climate change isn’t caused by human activity. His conservative beliefs should be no surprise, given the strength of the Republican Party in the 4th district.

Buck was similarly in favor of exerting control over other people’s bodies. He was staunchly anti-abortion and did not believe in exceptions for rape or incest. What’s more, in 2005, when he was still a district attorney, Buck refused to prosecute an alleged rape case. The alleged victim released a recording of an interview she had with Buck, during which he appeared to blame her for the assault.

But a key difference between the two men is that Lopez has said that Donald Trump won the 2020 election, which is not true. Buck, on the other hand, has repeatedly pushed back on the 2020 election conspiracies, slamming them as “self-serving lies.” He is also one of the only Republicans who has refused to fall in line with his party’s efforts to impeach Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, continually noting that neither impeachment effort is based on any evidence of wrongdoing.

Following multiple departures, the House Republican majority is razor-thin. And it seems Lopez can be counted on to vote with his party on their main priorities.