OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Representative Kevin Hern secured the Republican nomination for Oklahoma’s open U.S. Senate seat this week, avoiding a runoff and advancing to the November general election in a race that is expected to help determine the state’s next federal representation. Election results released after Tuesday’s primary showed Hern winning a majority of Republican votes statewide.
Hern, a Republican congressman representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, entered the race after the Senate seat became vacant following the departure of former Senator Markwayne Mullin, who joined President Donald Trump’s administration as secretary of homeland security. Oklahoma law barred interim appointee Alan Armstrong from seeking the seat in the special election.
According to election results reported by the Associated Press, Hern received enough support to surpass the threshold required to avoid an August runoff. His victory followed an endorsement from Trump earlier in the campaign, a move that political observers said discouraged several potential high-profile challengers from entering the Republican primary.
Speaking after the results became clear, Hern emphasized conservative priorities and his experience in Congress. “I’m grateful for the trust Oklahoma voters have placed in me,” Hern said, according to remarks reported by the Associated Press. He pledged to continue supporting policies focused on economic growth, energy development and border security.
The Senate race unfolded alongside Oklahoma’s gubernatorial primary, where Republican candidates Gentner Drummond and Mark Mazzei advanced to a runoff after neither secured a majority of votes. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Cyndi Munson had already secured her party’s nomination.
On the Democratic side of the Senate contest, no candidate won an outright majority, sending the nomination race to a runoff. As a result, Hern’s general-election opponent will not be known until later this summer, according to state election officials and local media reports.
Oklahoma has been one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states in federal elections for decades, and Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1990, according to the Associated Press.
With the Republican primary concluded, attention now turns to the remaining runoff contests ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. State election officials certified preliminary results this week, while final certification procedures were continuing under Oklahoma election law.
