By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma is seeking his third full term.

The Republican primary ballot will have three other candidates on it, and the Democratic ballot will have two candidates. The primaries will be Tuesday, July 29.

The other Republicans are Evelyn L. Rogers, Dennis Lopez and Ted Ryals.

Andrew Rice, a state senator, will face off with Jim Rogers in the Democratic primary.

The winners will run against each other and independent candidate Stephen P. Wallace in the November general election. The winner of that race will serve a six-year term in the Senate, alongside Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn.

Republicans

n Inhofe, 73, has served in the Senate since 1994, when he was elected to fill the unexpired term of Sen. David Boren. He was elected in 1996 to a full term and was re-elected in 2002.

He graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in economics. In addition to service in the Army, he is a businessman who has worked in aviation, real estate and insurance.

Inhofe said that if elected, he would focus on improving the economy, increasing border security, developing a national energy policy with a focus on expanded oil and gas exploration, and improving access to affordable health care.

Inhofe cited his experience, before Congress and after, as why he should be elected.

“While there is still much to accomplish during this Congress, I look forward to securing re-election and continuing my service for Oklahoma,” Inhofe said in an e-mail. “I take great pride in our state and strive every day to honor the trust the people of our great state have placed in me. Oklahomans know where I stand.”

n Evelyn Rogers, 55, is a librarian at Tulsa Community College. She has lived in Tulsa for the past 15 years.

She has an associate degree in nursing and psychology from Pasadena (Calif.) City College; a bachelor of science in health-care management from the University of La Verne (Calif.); a master of arts in practical theology from Oral Roberts University; and a master’s degree in library and information services from Oklahoma University.