Former Sen. Tom Coburn, known as a political maverick, dies

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn has died. He was 72. A cousin tells The Associated Press that he died early Saturday morning. Coburn had been diagnosed with prostate cancer years earlier.

The Oklahoma Republican railed against federal earmarking and earned a reputation as a political maverick. The physician won an eastern Oklahoma U.S. House seat during the “Republican Revolution” in 1994. He stepped down after three terms, keeping his term-limit pledge.

He returned to his family medical practice in Muskogee, where during his career he delivered more than 4,000 babies.

He jumped back into politics and was elected to the Senate in 2004, and again in 2010.