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Coburn: ‘The Times Is Wrong’ About Possible Presidential Run

Then-U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) speaking at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.
Gage Skidmore
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Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Then-U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) speaking at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn tempered reports over the weekend that he’s considering a possible independent campaign for the White House.

Several prominent conservatives are trying to draft a candidate to counter the rise of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, and The New York Times reported Saturday the retired Oklahoma Republican told associates he’d be open to the idea:

Mr. Coburn, who left the Senate early last year to receive treatment for cancer, said in an interview that Mr. Trump “needs to be stopped” and that he expected to back an independent candidate against him. He said he had little appetite for a campaign of his own, but did not flatly rule one out. “I’m going to support that person,” Mr. Coburn said, “and I don’t expect that person to be me.”

The Oklahoman’s Washington bureau chief Chris Casteel reached out to Coburn after The Times story:

Coburn, who declined to be interviewed, responded to a text message about the New York Times story, saying, "The Times is wrong." Asked whether he would consider running for president, Coburn replied by text, "No."

Since leaving office, Coburn has led a non-profit foundation called Restore Accountability whose mission is to educate the public about the country’s debt and spending he considers wasteful. The well-known deficit hawk earned a reputation in the Senate as “Dr. No” (he maintained his medical practice during his time in Washington) for holding up legislation he didn’t agree with. Coburn announced in 2014 he would retire after the current session of Congress ended, and underwent treatment for prostate cancer.

Last month, Coburn endorsed Marco Rubio’s quest for the White House. The Florida Senator suspended his campaign March 15. Coburn called Trump’s campaign a “fabrication” in his endorsement of Rubio, and said the New York billionaire would undo and reverse more than 50 years of Republican achievements.

“He is perpetuating a fraud on the American people,” Coburn said in a statement. “His empty promises, bullying and bloviating rhetoric will only deepen the frustration and disillusionment that gave rise to his campaign. He simply lacks the character, skills and policy knowledge to turn his grandiose promises into reality.”

It’s not the first time Coburn’s name has been mentioned for a possible presidential run. Eleven months before the 2012 campaign, Coburn told a caller on C-SPAN’s Washington Journalthe White House has entered his mind.

“I’ve had thoughts of it, especially with what I think is the weakness of our potential nominees right now, but nothing serious,” Coburn said. “[I] probably don’t have the skillset that’s necessary for that.”

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Brian Hardzinski is from Flower Mound, Texas and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. He began his career at KGOU as a student intern, joining KGOU full time in 2009 as Operations and Public Service Announcement Director. He began regularly hosting Morning Edition in 2014, and became the station's first Digital News Editor in 2015-16. Brian’s work at KGOU has been honored by Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI), the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters, and local and regional chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists. Brian enjoys competing in triathlons, distance running, playing tennis, and entertaining his rambunctious Boston Terrier, Bucky.
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