Representative Kevin Hern has decisively won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma, cementing his position as the favorite to claim the seat vacated when former Senator Markwayne Mullin joined the Trump administration. Major news networks called the race Tuesday evening, with USA Today declaring Hern the victor at 8:39 p.m. and NBC News following minutes later, as early returns showed the congressman commanding a substantial lead over his three primary challengers.
The 64 year old congressman entered the race with immediate momentum, securing an endorsement from President Donald Trump within days of announcing his candidacy. That backing proved decisive in a crowded field that included musician Gary “Ty” England, business intelligence developer Nick Hankins, and emergency responder Brian Ragain. Hern dominated not only in polling but also in fundraising, pulling in nearly $1.4 million in campaign contributions according to Federal Election Commission filings, dwarfing his competitors’ war chests.
A successful businessman before entering the political arena, Hern built his fortune through a network of McDonald’s franchises and other ventures after relocating to Oklahoma in 1999. Since winning election to Congress in 2018, he has risen through Republican ranks to chair the House Republican Policy Committee while serving on the influential House Ways and Means Committee. His Senate campaign platform emphasizes core conservative priorities: expanding tax cuts, strengthening border security, reducing federal spending, imposing congressional term limits, and supporting law enforcement and military personnel.
On the Democratic side, early returns indicate a competitive race between N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and Jim Priest for their party’s nomination. Thomas, a 31 year old nurse from Ardmore and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, has campaigned on expanding health care access, addressing the nursing shortage, protecting reproductive rights, and advocating for LGBTQ+ communities. She reported raising $45,000 in contributions, a modest sum compared to her Republican opponent but respectable for a first time candidate.
Priest, a 70 year old Oklahoma City attorney, built his campaign around what he calls a new “New FAIR Deal,” focusing on family finances, access to basic resources, restoring trust in government, and rebuilding America’s international reputation. Among the Democratic field, which also included former state senator Dr. Ervin Yen, martial arts studio owner Troy Green, and attorney R.O. “Joe” Cassity Jr., Priest demonstrated the strongest fundraising prowess with more than $213,000 raised. Yen emphasized public health and addiction treatment in his platform, while Green called for expanding Medicare and banning congressional insider trading.
Hern’s path to the Senate now appears clear in deeply conservative Oklahoma, where Republicans have dominated statewide races for more than a decade. The general election on November 3 will also feature independent candidates Rom Meinhardt, an executive producer from Nowata, and Curtis Stinnett, a pharmacist from Tulsa. Should Hern prevail in November as expected, he would join a Senate where his business background and conservative credentials position him as a potential influential voice on fiscal policy and economic matters. The race represents not just a personnel ce but a continuation of Oklahoma’s rightward political trajectory, with national implications for the Republican majority’s policy agenda in Washington.
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