Rep. Kevin Hern has won the Republican Senate primary in Oklahoma, NBC News projects, paving the way for him to win the open seat in the general election.
The seat was previously represented by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who resigned from the Senate in March to replace former Secretary Kristi Noem in the Cabinet.
Hern, who was first elected to the House in 2018, decided to leave that chamber to try the leap to the Senate. He represents Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, which covers most of Tulsa, and is on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Before his time in Congress, he was a McDonald’s restaurant franchisee. Sen. Alan Armstrong was appointed to fill the Senate seat for the rest of Mullin’s term, before the fall election.
President Donald Trump endorsed Hern on Truth Social in March, describing him as “a Great Patriot” and a “true friend of MAGA,” adding that he “is doing a tremendous job advancing our AMERICA FIRST Agenda.”
Hern has been a fierce proponent of Trump’s MAGA movement, boasting about Trump’s successes on social media.
“The numbers don’t lie: employment is up, wages are up, and hardworking families are succeeding! When we put America First, America Wins!” Hern wrote on X this month.
Oklahoma is a solidly red state and gave Trump a 34-point victory in 2024. Mullin was initially elected in 2022 to finish the rest of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s term, after Inhofe decided to resign.
