Coburn’s departure likely to trigger GOP dominoes

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma’s 2014 political landscape was thrown for a loop when U.S. Senator Tom Coburn announced his early retirement.

Coburn’s Thursday night announcement is expected to knock over a series of dominoes in Oklahoma politics, with some of state’s most powerful GOP leaders considering a run to replace him.

What was expected to be an election season with few surprises has suddenly morphed into a cycle that will have two U.S. Senate races, including the first open U.S. Senate seat in a decade.

There also could be open U.S. House or statewide office seats, depending upon who runs for the Senate.

Governor Mary Fallin said Friday that a special election to fill Coburn’s seat will coincide with Oklahoma’s regularly scheduled elections, a request Coburn made to help save the state money.