Okla.’s US Senate candidates set for panel talk

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Three of the top Republican contenders for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn are expected to tout their conservative credentials at a town hall-style forum.

Former state Sen. Randy Brogdon, two-term U.S. Rep. James Lankford, and former House Speaker T.W. Shannon are scheduled to attend Wednesday’s luncheon meeting of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee. The longtime grassroots conservative group based in Oklahoma City designates certain Oklahoma legislators each year as Republican in Name Only, or RINOs, for not voting for conservative measures the group supports.

Brogdon, Lankford and Shannon are considered the top contenders for the GOP nomination in the race to replace Coburn. Three Democrats and an independent also are running for the seat.