No one would mistake Republican Sen. Tom Coburn for a career politician. Coburn didn’t run for his first office until 1994 when he ran for the U.S. House, easily winning the seat after Mike Synar, the Democratic incumbent, lost a primary. Coburn served for three terms, retiring in 2000 to keep his term limits pledge.
While Coburn was at home in the conservative class of 1994, he also was part of a group of Republican members who tried to depose Newt Gingrich from his position as Speaker. After leaving the House, Coburn returned to his medical practice in Muskogee. In 2004, though, he decided to run for an open Senate seat, despite the presence of other, better-funded Republicans already in the race. With support from the Club for Growth, Coburn took 61 percent of the vote in a three-way primary, winning 76 of 77 counties. He won the general election, beating then-Rep. Brad Carson, a moderate who was heavily recruited by Democrats, 53 percent to 41 percent.
In the Senate, Coburn has maintained his conservative voting record. According to the
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