OK Senate: Conservative group courts Jim Bridenstine

An influential grassroots conservative group is courting Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to run in the special election to replace Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who announced that he will resign at the end of the year.

The Senate Conservatives Fund sent out an email blast to its supporters of Saturday in which the group praised Coburn, who is battling a recurrence of cancer, as a “tireless fighter against wasteful Washington spending,” noting that his resignation “is a big loss for Oklahoma and the country.”

“No senator has done more to research and expose our government’s gross abuse of American taxpayers,” wrote Matt Hoskins, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund. “[Coburn] is a true citizen legislator and we need more like him in Washington.”

After praise Coburn, who has been one of the most consistent fiscal conservatives in the Senate, Hoskins made it clear who the Senate Conservatives Fund would back in the race to replace him.

“It’s not clear yet which candidates will run for the seat,” he noted, “but we hope U.S. Representative Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) will consider it.”

“SCF endorsed Bridenstine last year as a candidate for the U.S. House because of his outstanding record,” wrote Hoskins. “We wanted to protect him from the Republican establishment, which was upset with him for voting against John Boehner (R-OH) for Speaker, and to elevate his profile so he could run for the Senate someday.”

“How great would it be if he ran now?” he added.

Bridenstine was mentioned by The Hill as a possible candidate to replace Coburn. Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt were also mentioned.

Though only in his first term, Bridenstine has established himself as a principled legislator. He was among the group of House conservatives who fought to defund Obamacare last fall, joining with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who had encourage them to stand their ground on the issue.

The Oklahoma Republican has introduced legislation to repeal the 16th Amendment. He has also been a strong critic President Barack Obama’s abuse of executive power.

Bridenstine’s fiscal conservative credentials are bolstered by his 95% rating from FreedomWorks and 90% score from Americans for Prosperity. He also has a 90% score on The New American’s Freedom Index, which measures votes based on the Constitution.

The special primary election to replace Coburn will be held on Tuesday, June 24. If needed a primary runoff will be held on August 26. The special general election will be held on Tuesday, November 4. It’s widely believed that Republicans will maintain control of the seat.