I recently wrote a diary herediscussing the possibility that Tom Coburn would not finish his term.
Reports are in that he will retire tomorrow.
Sources in Washington tell us U.S. Senator Tom Coburn will announce Friday he'll resign at the end of 2014.
Coburn is battling a recurrence of prostate cancer and previously told a political reporter he'd resign if his health meant he couldn't serve out his term.
This source does have the final sentence as saying
Coburn's communication director told News On 6 there is no announcement tomorrow, and the senator is not resigning.
But I do know that his chief of staff has confirmed this. Sorry, no link as of yet. Will update when i find one.
UPDATE:
and here it is Sen. Tom Coburn to resign at the end of current Congress
As a citizen legislator, I am first and foremost a citizen who cares deeply about the kind of country we leave our children and grandchildren. As I have traveled across Oklahoma and our nation these past nine years, I have yet to meet a parent or grandparent who wouldn’t do anything within their power to secure the future for the next generation. That’s why I initially ran for office in 1994 and re-entered politics in 2004. I’m encouraged there are thousands of Americans with real-world experience and good judgment who feel just like I do. As dysfunctional as Washington is these days, change is still possible when ‘We the People’ get engaged, run for office themselves or make their voices heard. After all, how else could a country doctor from Muskogee with no political experience make it to Washington?
“As a citizen, I am now convinced that I can best serve my own children and grandchildren by shifting my focus elsewhere. In the meantime, I look forward to finishing this year strong. I intend to continue our fight for Oklahoma, and will do everything in my power to force the Senate to re-embrace its heritage of debate, deliberation and consensus as we face our many challenges ahead.
“My God bless you, our state and our country.
UPDATE II:Changed Title from "Tomorrow" to say "Early". The initial news link said tomorrow. But that was a source of confusion. I guess the announcement was supposed to be tomorrow? But they announced/leaked today (Jan 16). I THINK, and please help me if you see it somewhere, that he's retiring at the end of the year so his replacement will be ready to go January of next year and the election will be this November. Looks like that
Matt Silverstein has a choice between running against Jim Inhofe and the guy up in the open seat? Not sure how that works, having two senate seats up at once.
Coburn timed his resignation so his replacement could be elected during the regular ballot process this year. It will be a very compressed time frame for a statewide race, particularly for those who don’t have statewide name recognition.
I expect AG Scott Pruitt to be the favorite. Heaven help us.
And I sincerely do wish Mr. Coburn good health.