Keating Eyeing A Run At Senate
Frank Keating considers running for Tom Coburn’s seat
By MJ LEE and BURGESS EVERETT
Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating said Thursday that he is considering a possible run to replace Sen. Tom Coburn, one week after the cancer-stricken GOP senator announced he will leave Congress after 2014.
Keating has been president and CEO of the American Bankers Association since January 2011 and previously served two terms as Oklahoma governor. His name has been mentioned recently as a possible candidate to take Coburn’s place.
“I’ve had a number of people call me to encourage me and at this stage, I’m just watching to see how things evolve,” Keating said in an interview. “I’ve not decided 100 percent no or 100 percent yes.”
Keating said he was “surprised” and felt “culture shock” to learn earlier this month of Coburn’s decision not to finish out the rest of his Senate term, which ends in 2016.