AP reports: Speaker T.W. Shannon entering US Senate race

Oklahoma's Republican House Speaker T.W. Shannon is telling members of his caucus he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated early by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.

In an email obtained on Tuesday by The Associated Press, Shannon informed House members he would enter the race but keep the top leadership post in the chamber for the time being.

An official with Shannon's campaign confirmed the authenticity of the email but declined to speak on the record ahead of a formal announcement Wednesday.

The 35-year-old from Lawton joins two-term U.S. Rep. James Lankford in the race for the state's first open U.S. Senate seat since 2004.

A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Shannon was the first African-American and the youngest speaker of the Oklahoma House when elected last year.