AP source: Oklahoma GOP Sen. Inhofe to announce retirement

(AP) Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe plans to announce soon that he is retiring from Congress. That’s according to a person with direct knowledge of the senator’s plans who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive details. Inhofe is expected to serve until the current session of Congress ends next January. His retirement will trigger a special election this year in Oklahoma to pick his replacement. Inhofe is a longtime fixture in Oklahoma politics and serves as the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He first won the Senate seat in a special election in 1994. Republicans will be heavily favored to retain the seat, as Oklahoma hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1990.