Inhofe, who is 87 years old, has been a senator since 1995. was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2020 in red state. He also promised to serve one more term. According to someone familiar with his plans, he has decided to retire earlier in order to care for his wife who is ill.
Inhofe wrote a letter to Oklahoma’s secretary-of-state, “It is bittersweet but with a clean heart that Kay and I announce at the end of this year that I will retire from United States Senate.” “Throughout all our years, there has been one constant: making the world safer for our 20 grandkids as well as the next generation of Oklahomans. Now it is time for the next generation of Oklahomans, to be able to serve their state in the U.S. Senate.”
The sudden announcement by Inhofe is likely to ignite a special election, and likely a primary between Oklahoma Republicans due to the state’s overwhelming GOP tilt.
Inhofe, a former mayor of Tulsa and a veteran of the Army, is active in GOP politics ever since the 1960s. He is perhaps most well-known on Capitol Hill as a leading critic of climate science, and the notion that manmade causes are driving up global temperature.
Jim Cramer (Inhofe’s fellow senator) issued a statement Monday afternoon about Inhofe’s resignation, before the Oklahoma senator made his announcement.
Cramer stated that Senator Jim Inhofe was a giant in Senate. He is also a close mentor and friend. He is a mentor who has the highest integrity, intellectual curiosity, institutional know-how, and, at the end, is one of America’s finest gentlemen. It is hard to overstate the impact Senator Inhofe had on public life. The Senate will miss him greatly.”
