WASHINGTON — Republican Dr. Tom Coburn has defeated his Democratic opponent in one of the nation’s tightest Senate races and will succeed retiring Don Nickles, also a Republican, television networks projected.
Coburn, who authored “Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders” for WND Books, beat two-term member of the House of Representatives Brad Carson, a Democrat.
Coburn is a former congressman who was elected to the U.S. House during the so-called Republican revolution of 1994. He was one of a few members who abided by a self-imposed term limit, serving just three two-year terms. An obstetrician, Coburn has delivered thousands of babies in Oklahoma.
Carson currently represents the state’s Second District in the House.
The race between Coburn and Carson was one of the most vitriolic and expensive in Oklahoma history, perhaps topping $15 million between the two.
Nickles and other Republicans had warned that a Carson win could tip control of the U.S. Senate to the Democrats. Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the body.
While Carson ran as a moderate Democrat, Coburn told voters his election would cause liberal Democrats to take control of the Senate.
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WND Staff