Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, a conservative firebrand known for his strong support of defense spending and his denial that human activity is responsible for the bulk of climate change, has died. He was 89.
Inhofe, a powerful fixture in Oklahoma politics for over six decades, died Tuesday morning after he had a stroke over the July Fourth holiday, his family said in a statement.
Inhofe, who was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020, stepped down in early 2023.
There is no such thing as controlling the Senate 51-50. There are 100 senators and if there are only 99 voting (e.g. because one of them died), then if there was previously a 50-50 party split, party-line votes will now have 50-49 results, i.e. not a tie, i.e. the Vice President will not be asked to break a tie.