During his first term in the Senate, Tom Coburn (R-OK) turned himself into one of the most essential conservatives in American politics.  His matter-of-fact approach, willingness to partner across the aisle to pursue open-government reform, and his professional approach has helped keep conservative efforts alive on Capitol Hill.  Today, in an exclusive post on Red State, Coburn announces that he’ll seek one more term in order to continue that work:

When I first decided to seek public office, it was because I was alarmed by Washington’s desire to impose collectivism and socialism on the public, particularly in the area of health care. Today, we face the very same challenge.

No kidding.  Unfortunately, it’ s gotten a lot worse.

To our founders, America was, and is, an idea that trusts individuals more than the government, and it is an idea that trusts the competition of ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit to produce a more fair and just outcome than the cold calculations of governing elites.

But today many in Washington are claiming that all problems can be solved with more government spending and less individual freedom. Those ideas have never worked and they never will.

Very few leaders are talking honestly about the real causes of our challenges, much less the real solutions. I believe the decisions Washington makes today and in the near future will decide the fate of our republic. In short, I’m running again because I believe America, and future generations, are worth fighting for.

Coburn promised to self-limit himself to two terms during his first campaign, and some wondered whether Coburn would go that far.  His announcement today is a welcome and rare bit of good news for sensible conservatives.  Coburn provides a reliable presence in a capital that has grown far too fond of power.

We can expect that Coburn will win re-election in Oklahoma rather easily.  The state resisted Obama fever and supported John McCain by a 2-1 margin in 2008, and with the economy faltering and the government spending massive amounts of non-existent money, the winds should be against the Democrats at the midterms.  We will still need to work to ensure that Coburn returns to the Senate and continues his work on behalf of federalist principles, open government, and individual liberty.