Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) announced Monday that he plans to seek re-election next year, putting to rest speculation that the conservative physician who has earned the nickname “Dr. No— for his staunch opposition to earmarks might be ready to leave Capitol Hill after six years in the House and one term in the Senate.

Coburn told those gathered at the Tulsa Press Club on Monday morning that the decision to run again was a difficult choice to make because his work in the Senate keeps him away from his family and his medical practice.

“I also don’t particularly like Washington, D.C.,— he said. But Coburn said he still had work to do to further his goals of limited government and personal responsibility.

He reiterated that if he wins a second Senate term it would be his last, sticking to his two-term pledge.

Coburn’s announcement was quickly hailed by conservative interest groups like the anti-tax Club for Growth.

“From his early days in the House to his time in the Senate, Dr. Coburn has been a relentless advocate for limited government and economic freedom,— said Club for Growth president Chris Chocola. “As our nation faces the prospect of runaway spending and even more debt under President [Barack] Obama, it is all the more important to ensure that Dr. Coburn returns to the Senate to fight for the principles that have made this country great.—