Senator Tom Coburn Of Oklahoma Says He’ll Retire At End Of The Year

Senator Tom Coburn Of Oklahoma Says He’ll Retire At End Of The Year

By Lisa Mascaro and Michael A. Memoli

Tribune Washington Bureau

(MCT)

WASHINGTON—Republican Sen. Tom Coburn said late Thursday that he will leave Congress at the end of this session, two years before his term expires.

The Oklahoma senator who pioneered budget slashing before the ascent of the tea party has been battling cancer, but had always said he would limit his time in office. His departure will set up a special election in the Republican-heavy state.

“This decision isn’t about my health, my prognosis or even my hopes and desires,” Coburn, 65, said in a statement. “My commitment to the people of Oklahoma has always been that I would serve no more than two terms. Our founders saw public service and politics as a calling rather than a career. That’s how I saw it.”

Coburn, a physician, first came to Congress as part of the Republican class elected to the House in 1994, but left office after promising to serve no more than three terms.

In 2004 he was elected to the Senate, where he was known for prying open the federal budget to find areas to cut. He earned the nickname “Dr. No” for his refusal to fund special programs.

Even so, he is among the few Republican senators who have a friendly relationship with President Barack Obama. They were elected to the Senate in the same year.

Last fall, Coburn was diagnosed with a recurrence of prostate cancer. Decades earlier, he was diagnosed with melanoma.

During a brief conversation in the halls of Congress on Thursday before his announcement, Coburn expressed regret that the Senate was about to approve a $1-trillion spending bill to fund the government. He said too few of his Capitol Hill colleagues were willing to make the decisions needed to cut spending. His budget notes filled a binder as he headed to the Senate floor.

Under Oklahoma law, the special election will be held within 30 days of the vacancy.

Coburn noted that he prayed about his decision. He said serving as one of the state’s senators “has been, and continues to be, one of the great privileges and blessings of my life.”

Photo by Talk Radio News Service via Flickr.com

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Joe Biden
President Joe Biden

Last week,The Economist's presidential polling average set in motion a reevaluation of the general election when President Joe Biden pulled ahead of Donald Trump for the first time since September 2023.

Keep reading...Show less
Alex Jones

Alex Jones

At a press conference on Tuesday, March 26, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters that there was no sign of terrorism or foul play in the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge — which had been struck by a freighter. According to Moore and the Biden White House, there was no indication that it was anything other than a tragic accident.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}