U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn says he won’t seek reelection, giving all three of Colorado’s GOP held seats open races

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a nine term congressman representing the Colorado Springs area, will not run for reelection in November — an announcement that means all three Republican held seats in Colorado’s congressional delegation will be open this year. Lamborn discussed his plans Friday morning on Richard Randall’s on southern Colorado’s KVOR AM.

“I’m not getting any younger,” the 69 year old said. “I want to spend time with my children, grandchildren, with my wife. I want to look for opportunities to do good.” An attorney, Lamborn previously served in the Colorado House and Senate before first winning election to Congress in 2006.

He represents the state’s 5th Congressional District in and around Colorado Springs, one of the Front Range’s few remaining conservative bastions. Lamborn’s announcement comes amid broader turnover in Colorado’s Republican congressional delegation. Rep. Ken Buck that he wouldn’t seek reelection, and U.S.

Rep. Lauren Boebert said last week that to run for Buck’s seat on the Eastern Plains. Colorado’s other five members of the U.S. House are Democrats, as are its two U.S. senators. Lamborn’s decision to retire will likely open the primary floodgates in the 5th Congressional District. After Buck’s Eastern Plains district, Lamborn’s seat is the safest Republican district in the state.

In the past several elections, the district has favored Republicans by more than 20 points, , double the margin of Boebert’s current seat. The area is also home to several prominent current and former GOP legislators, including the top Republican in the state senate, Paul Lundeen, and the no. 2 Republican in the House, Rose Pugliese.

Dave Williams, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party, ran an unsuccessful primary campaign against Lamborn in 2022..