James Lankford (R OK-5) to run for Tom Coburn's Senate Seat

[Vosem]

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Since when?

He is the Republican Policy Committee Chairman, which is quite a prestigious job; he's technically the fifth-highest ranking Republican in the House (behind Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy, McMorris Rodgers), though this is a position that is usually held only for two years and is devoid of real power (in the 111th Congress, it was held by Thad McCotter). But aside from that, he is a fairly prominent Boehner acolyte.