Tom Coburn lämnar Senaten

Oklahomas republikanske senatorn Tom Coburn kämpar mot cancer och har beslutat att gå i pension i år, trots att det egentligen är två år till kvar av hans ämbetsperiod. Coburn släppte ett meddelande där han skrev:

“Serving as Oklahoma’s senator has been, and continues to be, one of the great privileges and blessings of my life. But, after much prayer and consideration, I have decided that I will leave my Senate seat at the end of this Congress.

“Carolyn and I have been touched by the encouragement we’ve received from people across the state regarding my latest battle against cancer. But this decision isn’t about my health, my prognosis or even my hopes and desires. 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 when I first ran for office in 1994, and that’s how I still see it today.

Hans beslut kommer i höst givetvis att leda till en ny politisk strid om senatsplatsen. Störst kan striden dock komma att bli bland republikanerna själva i den djupt konservativa delstaten - och slaget kan primärt komma att handla om vilken sorts republikan som kommer att ta över efter Coburn. Här rapporterar NBC:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Källa: Politico