Sen. Jim Imhofe (R-OK), 87, who was re-elected to a 5th term in 2020, is expected to announce this weekend he will resign at the end of this year so his successor can be elected this coming November (see story here). Imhofe previously had said he wouldn’t run for reelection in 2026.
He plans to endorse his chief of staff, Luke Holland (in white shirt, in photo at left), in the Republican primary. There’s no chance the seat will flip blue; Oklahoma is a solidly Republican state.
Imhofe infamously brandished a snowball on the Senate floor to “prove” global warming doesn’t exist (video below). Maybe he’s really that blind to reality, or maybe he knows better, but says what he has to say to win elections in a state whose economy depends on oil and gas production.