Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) confirmed that he plans to retire from the Senate later this year, setting up a special election to replace him this fall.The 87-year-old Oklahoma Republican, who just won reelection in 2020 to another six-year term, said he was stepping down to spend more time with his wife.“There has to be one day where you say, ‘All right, this is going to be it,’” Inhofe told The Oklahoman, adding he was “absolutely” at peace with the decision.Inhofe was first elected to the Senate in 1994 after serving in the House and as governor of Oklahoma. As the longtime top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Inhofe has been an influential voice on defense policy.He is also a staunch climate change denier and drew mockery in February 2014 when he threw a snowball on the Senate floor as evidence, he claimed, that global warming is a hoax. The senator was also criticized in 2013 for advocating for federal aid for tornado-ravaged parts of his state after joining other congressional deficit hawks in opposing the same aid to states ravaged by Hurricane Sandy the year before.Inhofe told The Oklahoman that he plans to endorse his chief of staff, Luke Holland, to replace him in the Senate. The GOP primary for Inhofe’s successor in the ruby-red state will take place on June 28.