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.
It wouldn’t actually be a 51-50 split. What happens is the senators vote, and if there’s a tie, the Vice President (aka the President of the Senate) is asked to break the deadlock. If it was a 50-50 split, and one of the senators dies, it’s now a 50-49 split, and the VP is no longer asked to break ties.