In an opinion piece published in The New York Times on Wednesday titled “A Concern for Democrats,” Thomas B. Edsall discussed the significant racial realignment currently taking place in American politics. According to Edsall, the upcoming election in the fall is expected to witness the largest movement of nonwhite voters away from the Democratic Party since the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Edsall mentioned his conversation with data analyst Adam Carlson, who indicated that while the data trends did not indicate a complete shift, the term realignment would be fitting if the November election results aligned with the current polling data.

It appears that the political pendulum, after swinging as far left as possible, is now beginning to swing in the opposite direction. For many conservatives, the realignment process may have started earlier but gained momentum during the tenure of former President Donald Trump. A significant portion of the conservative base began to realize that the GOP leadership’s efforts to cater to Democratic voters in hopes of gaining support only weakened the party.

Democrats always seem to want more, and some Republicans in leadership roles have finally started to stand firm. However, not everyone is embracing this change.

The momentum of realignment, whether fully realized this year or not, is causing some long-standing GOP incumbents to reassess their future within the party. Members who belonged to the traditional Republican mold are finding themselves at odds with the party’s new direction. Rep. Ken Buck serves as a prime example.

On March 12, the Colorado Republican announced his resignation from the House, effective Friday.

Buck had initially declared that he would not run for re-election at the conclusion of his term, but later reversed his decision and resigned. This move has further weakened the House’s control, as it struggles to maintain its slim majority, as reported by CBS News.

Following his resignation, Buck criticized the House GOP for their impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden. He also accused the Republicans of engaging in “election denialism” in relation to former President Donald Trump’s defeat to Biden in the 2020 election, according to The Hill.

On the day before his departure from Congress, Buck delivered a final blow to the party by becoming the first GOP member to support the Democrats’ discharge petition for a vote on $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as per Axios.

With his name included, the petition garnered 188 signatures, with a total of 218 required to prompt a vote. Given that many Democrats have expressed their refusal to sign the bill, Buck’s action was mainly symbolic, yet it served as a rebuke to the Republican Party.

House regulations permit his signature to remain valid until he is replaced in a special election. Additionally, Buck endorsed a rival petition by Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and other centrists, which has only accumulated 16 signatures thus far, as per Axios. Fellow Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert publicly criticized the congressman on social media.

“In one of his final acts as a Congressman, Ken Buck joined the Democrat discharge petition to allocate even more of your money to Ukraine!” she stated in a post on Thursday.

“Curious, as I’ve been traversing the entire Fourth District and have yet to come across the part that shares a border with Kyiv,” Boebert remarked.