U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe announced last week that he would be retiring from the senate. Inhofe, now 87, was born in Iowa in 1934 and moved to Oklahoma with his family when he was a child. He is the fourth oldest member of the U.S. Senate. Inhofe was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1967 where he served one term before trying for the Oklahoma State Senate, where he served from 1969 – 1977. In 1974, Inhofe ran as the Republican nominee for governor, losing the race to Boren. In 1978, Inhofe was elected Tulsa mayor by the voters and was re-elected as Tulsa mayor twice. In 1986 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served until 1994 when he as elected to the U.S. Senate. When Boren left the U.S. Senate in 1994, Inhofe won the special election and was elected to five full terms in 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020.
In November 2020, Inhofe was re-elected to his fifth sixyear term in the U.S.Senate. Inhofe is also a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and was chairman of the committee from 2018 - 2021. His position on the armed forces committee allowed him to bring significant military funding to the state and help the state avoid losing military bases.
Inhofe has been a dedicated and staunch conservative in the U. S Senate and has given dedicated service for almost three decades.
Inhofe sent a letter to the Honorable Brian Bingman, Oklahoma Secretary of State, announcing he will retire from the United States Senate effective January 3, 2023. A press release was sent out and reads as follows:
“It is bittersweet, but with a clear heart, that Kay and I announce that at the end of the year, I will retire from the United States Senate.
“Going into public service was never in my plan. For years, Kay and I were focused on our family and building our business together. Then, one day, I needed a dock permit. I had to visit 27 government offices to get a single dock permit, and realized if we wanted the government to work for the people, not against the people, it was up to us to make a change.
“Still, when our journey of service to Oklahoma started with my first political campaign in 1967, we never expected that the road the Lord would lead us down would take us from the Oklahoma legislature, to being Mayor of Tulsa, to the House of Representatives, and, finally, to the United States Senate where I was privileged to lead the committees that best serve Oklahomans.
“Throughout our years there has been one constant – making the world safer and better for our 20 kids and grandkids and the next generation of Oklahomans. It is now time for that next generation of Oklahomans to have the opportunity to serve the state in the U.S. Senate.
“Today’s announcement is not the end of the road. I have work yet to do for Oklahomans over these next nine months, including passing the National Defense Authorization Act and holding the Biden administration accountable.
“Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your vote over these many years. It has been an honor to serve you in the Senate. May God bless you and God bless Oklahoma.”
The special election to fill the remainder of Inhofe’s term will be held at the same time as the already planned midterm elections in 2022.