Senator James M. Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, told officials in his state that he will retire at the end of the year, vacating a seat he has held since 1994 with four years left on his term.
Mr. Inhofe, 87, was ready to announce his plans on Monday, according to two Oklahoma Republicans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment ahead of time. His resignation is unlikely to affect the 50-50 balance of power in the Senate, given Oklahoma’s strong Republican views.
A conservative and top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mr. Inhofe is up for re-election, most recently in 2020.
Although he will leave his post well before his term expires in early 2027, Mr. Inhofe does not plan to leave before the end of this year, he told People. Awaiting his announcement next week, he will ensure that he can be replaced in a special election, not by appointment as governor of his state.
This is due to a new Oklahoma law that limits the window for governors to fill vacancies until regular elections. The competition for Mr. Inhofe’s seat is likely to take place in connection with the midterm congressional elections in November.
Potential Republican nominees to succeed Mr. Inhofe include Matt Pinnell, the state’s lieutenant governor; T.V. Shannon, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives; and R. Trent Shores, former U.S. Attorney at State. Other possible contenders include a majority of the members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives delegation.
Mr. Inhofe, a supporter of the ideological right, has a penchant for grand gestures to emphasize his point. He flew the plane upside down during a 2020 campaign ad to show he was still fit for the job even at 80. As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee in 2015 threw a snowball across the Senate floor in an attempt to undermine the validity of climate science.
Mr. Inhofe vociferously supports a powerful American military presence around the world. Intending to increase the national defense budget, he is seen as a hawkish advocate for one of Congress’s key responsibilities: passing the annual defense policy bill. In 2020, Mr. Inhofe led his party in a rare break from President Donald J. Trump to pass decisive legislation over his objections.
Cathy Edmondson contributed reporting.