Kevin Hern beat Democrat N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas to win the Senate seat that opened when Markwayne Mullin left to join President Trump’s cabinet.
Kevin Hern, 64, has been a U.S. representative from Oklahoma since 2018. He represents the Tulsa area in the House.
Before politics, Hern built a business career in Tulsa. He is a former McDonald’s franchise owner, and that business background has shaped his work in Congress, where he has focused on taxes, budgets and small business issues.
The Senate seat he won had a busy year. Sen. Markwayne Mullin resigned in March 2026 to become secretary of homeland security. Gov. Kevin Stitt then appointed Alan Armstrong, an oil and gas executive, to hold the seat for a time. State law kept Armstrong from running for the full term, and Oklahoma’s attorney general ruled that the winner of Tuesday’s election can take office once the results are certified.
On Tuesday, Hern defeated N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a Democratic nurse, with about 57 percent of the vote.
His win matters because it keeps the seat in Republican hands in a safely Republican state. Watch when Hern is sworn in — it could happen well before the new Congress starts in January — and which Senate committees he lands on.
Fast facts
- Age: 64
- Party: Republican
- Office: U.S. Senator
- State: Oklahoma
- Previous job: U.S. Representative from Oklahoma (since 2018)
- Called by AP: Nov. 3, 2026 (verified in the desk’s record at the 10:30 p.m. ET check)
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
