U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla. 01) visited Broken Arrow Wednesday amid buzz over who will run for U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn's seat, but the congressman did not make any announcements.
The visit was for a congressional forum hosted by the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce. Bridenstine said the visit is part of his efforts to regularly get in touch with constituents.
Bridenstine is, however, looking at his options.
"It's something that I'm weighing, it's something I'm considering. I'm not ruling it in, I'm not ruling it out, we're just methodically taking our time and determining if it's an appropriate course of action," Bridenstine said.
Regardless of his decision, Bridenstine has signed on with Republicans' goal of keeping Coburn's seat in conservative hands.
"We do not want that legacy to be left to somebody that is not sufficiently conservative," Bridenstine said. "We've got to make sure that we have somebody that's going to replace Coburn who is like Coburn, who has battled the establishment, who has battled Washington, D.C., regardless of party."
The special election to fill Coburn's seat will coincide with Oklahoma's regular 2014 election schedule. A primary will take place in June, with a potential runoff in August.
At the forum, Bridenstine talked about his work on a tornado forecasting bill, his belief in Russian aggression, last year's government shutdown and immigration reform.
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