Kevin Hern Sweeps Oklahoma GOP Senate Primary, Avoiding Runoff

Rep. Kevin Hern secured Oklahoma’s Republican Senate nomination Tuesday, avoiding a runoff in the race to succeed Markwayne Mullin after his appointment as Homeland Security Secretary.

The race was called for Hern within 40 minutes of polls closing, with about 24% of ballots counted and Hern holding 67.5% of the vote, followed by Gary England at 14.3% and three other candidates.

Hern, who has represented Oklahoma’s first congressional district since 2019, entered the race as the frontrunner after receiving an early endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Throughout the campaign, Hern maintained a substantial lead and surpassed Oklahoma’s majority threshold to win the nomination without advancing to an August runoff.

In the November general election, Hern will face either Democrat N’Kiyla Thomas or Jim Priest. Neither candidate achieved over 50% of the vote in the primary, meaning they will compete in an August 25 runoff.

The Senate seat opened after Mullin resigned earlier this year following President Trump’s nomination to replace Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve temporarily under state law requiring a special election for the remainder of the term.

Before entering politics, Hern built a network of McDonald’s franchises and later served in Congress as a conservative ally of Trump. His campaign emphasized border security, fiscal restraint, and support for the president’s agenda.

Trump’s endorsement helped clear much of the Republican field early and reinforced Hern’s position as the race’s front-runner. The president praised Hern as a strong supporter of the America First movement and urged Oklahoma Republicans to back his candidacy.

With the primary concluded, Hern advances to the November general election as the favorite in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1990. Republicans have dominated statewide federal elections in Oklahoma for decades, making the GOP nominee the strong favorite to retain the seat.

The outcome also triggers an open-seat contest in Oklahoma’s first congressional district, setting up a separate Republican battle to succeed Hern in the Tulsa area.