Kevin HernKevin Hern OK-01

Current Position: US Representative of OK 1st District since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Businessman from 1999 – 2018
District:  all of Tulsa County as well as portions of Creek, Rogers & Wagoner counties. 
Upcoming Election:

In 1997 he bought his first McDonald’s franchise and in 1999 he earned his MBA degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. After moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Hern expanded his McDonald’s franchises, eventually owning 18 franchises in the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Hern was a leading figure in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. On October 20, 2023, he again announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House after the withdrawal of Scalise and Jordan.

Featured Quote: 
Pelosi told Capitol police to arrest any of my staff that refused to wear a mask… yet Biden & Pelosi are letting almost 200k illegal immigrants per month pour across our southern border w/o regard to the spread of COVID across our country. Still they say they care about America?

Hern praises welfare reform, work requirements as the only path to self-sufficiency

OnAir Post: Kevin Hern OK-01

Summary

Current Position: US Representative of OK 1st District since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Businessman from 1999 – 2018
District:  all of Tulsa County as well as portions of Creek, Rogers & Wagoner counties. 
Upcoming Election:

In 1997 he bought his first McDonald’s franchise and in 1999 he earned his MBA degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. After moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Hern expanded his McDonald’s franchises, eventually owning 18 franchises in the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Hern was a leading figure in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. On October 20, 2023, he again announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House after the withdrawal of Scalise and Jordan.

Featured Quote: 
Pelosi told Capitol police to arrest any of my staff that refused to wear a mask… yet Biden & Pelosi are letting almost 200k illegal immigrants per month pour across our southern border w/o regard to the spread of COVID across our country. Still they say they care about America?

Hern praises welfare reform, work requirements as the only path to self-sufficiency

OnAir Post: Kevin Hern OK-01

News

About

Source: Government page

Kevin Hern 1Born on an Air Force Base, Kevin Hern gained an early appreciation for the sacrifices that military families make. In high school, Kevin earned an Architectural Drafting Certificate at a Career Technology school, which he used to work and pay for his Engineering degree. Later in life, he earned his MBA.

He went on to work as an Aerospace Engineer for Rockwell. Then began saving to purchase his first McDonald’s Restaurant by starting and operating small business ventures: writing computer programs to automate tasks for businesses, real estate, and even hog farming.

In 1997, Kevin literally sold the hog farm to buy his first McDonald’s restaurant in North Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1999, he purchased two McDonald’s restaurants in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He grew that organization over the next decade; eventually owning 24 McDonald’s restaurants that employed hundreds of people in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.

Kevin has worked across every aisle by serving in various leadership positions within the McDonald’s system – what he dubs the most grassroots business in the world. He served 13 years on the National Leadership Team that represented all of the 3,500+ U.S. Franchisees, serving for 8 years as the Ombudsman and 5 years as the chairman of the Systems Economic Team.

In addition to McDonald’s, Kevin has been a very successful entrepreneur in the areas of banking, manufacturing, real estate development, multiple technology companies, and sports publishing.

He uses this business acumen to help aspiring entrepreneurs create new businesses, so they can pursue their American Dream.

Kevin Hern was sworn into Congress on November 13th, 2018 serving the remainder of Congressman Jim Bridenstine’s term. Kevin and his wife Tammy live in Tulsa and have three children. They are members at the Church at Battle Creek.

Personal

Full Name: Kevin Hern

Gender: Male

Family: Wife: Tammy; 3 Children

Birth Date: 12/04/1961

Birth Place: Belton, MO

Home City: Tulsa, OK

Religion: Christian

Source: Vote Smart

Education

MBA, Finance/Business, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 1997-1999

Attended, Astronautical Engineering, 1986

BS, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, Arkansas Tech University, 1982-1986

Political Experience

Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 1, 2019-present

Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Oklahoma, District 1, 2020, 2022

Professional Experience

Owner, KTAK Corporation, 1997-present

Former Member, McDonald’s National Leadership Team

Chief Executive Officer/Managing Partner, Firstrike Group, 2000-2018

Franchisee, McDonald’s, 1986-1997

Former Employee, Rockwell International, 1986

Offices

Washington, DC Office
1019 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2211

District Offices
Tulsa Office
2448 East 81st Street
Suite 5150
Tulsa, OK 74137
Phone: (918) 935-3222

Contact

Email: Government

Web Links

Politics

Source: none

Election Results

To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.

Finances

Source: Open Secrets

Committees

House Committee on Ways and Means, Member 
Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
Subcommittee on Health

CAUCUS MEMBERSHIPS

Republican Study Committee, Chairman
Small Business Caucus, Co-Chair 
Franchise Caucus, Co-Chair
Pro-Life Caucus
Southern Caucus
Taiwan Caucus
Border Security Caucus
Municipal Finance Caucus
Values Action Team
Republican Israel Caucus
Congressional Tourette Syndrome Caucus
Diabetes Caucus
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus
Western Caucus
Native American Caucus
Air Force Caucus
House Energy Action Team
Freshman Working Group on Addiction
Spina Bifida Caucus
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Congressional Chicken Caucus
Congressional Fires Services Caucus
Congressional Rare Disease Caucus
ALS Caucus
Library of Congress Caucus

New Legislation

 Sponsored and Cosponsored

Issues

Source: Government page

More Information

Services

Source: Government page

District

Source: Wikipedia

Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district is in the northeastern corner of the state. Anchored by Tulsa, it is largely coextensive with the Tulsa metropolitan area. The district contains all of Tulsa County as well as portions of Creek, Rogers & Wagoner counties. Although it has long been reckoned as the Tulsa district, a small portion of Tulsa itself is located in the 3rd district.

Principal cities in the district (other than Tulsa) include Broken Arrow, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, and Wagoner.

The district is currently represented by Republican Kevin Hern who defeated Democratic nominee Tim Gilpin to replace Jim Bridenstine, who resigned to become NASA Administrator in 2018.

Wikipedia

Kevin Ray Hern (born December 4, 1961) is an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the United States House of Representatives for Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district. Born in Missouri and raised in Pope County, Arkansas, Hern graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1986 and briefly attended the Georgia Institute of Technology before returning to Arkansas to work for McDonald’s the following year. In 1997 he bought his first McDonald’s franchise and in 1999 he earned his MBA degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. After moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Hern expanded his McDonald’s franchises, eventually owning 18 franchises in the Tulsa metropolitan area. In 2018, he ran his first campaign for office and was elected to the United States House of Representatives.

Hern was a leading figure in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election.[1] In December 2020, Hern signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution.[2][3][4]

Hern became the chair of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative Republicans in the House, in 2023. In the January 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Hern was nominated for Speaker of the House as a protest candidate against Kevin McCarthy. During the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election Hern initially announced he would seek the nomination, before withdrawing from the race against Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan. On October 20, 2023, he again announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House after the withdrawal of Scalise and Jordan.

Early life and education

Born on an Air Force base in western Missouri, Hern moved to Pope County with his mother, Freda Flansburg,[5] and younger brother after his parents separated.[6] He graduated from Dover High School in 1980 and Arkansas Tech University in 1986 before working at Rockwell International while pursuing a PhD in astronautical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He left his degree program without finishing after the Challenger disaster [why?] in 1986.[7]

Hern received his MBA from University of Arkansas, Little Rock, in 1999.[8]

Career

McDonald’s franchises

In 1987, Hern moved to Arkansas and went to work for McDonald’s; within a few years, he was an operations manager for several McDonald’s franchises in the Little Rock area.[6] In January 1997, he bought his first McDonald’s, in North Little Rock. He sold that franchise in 1999 to move to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he bought two franchises. He expanded his business to 18 franchises in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area.[7] In 2018, during his first campaign for office, The Frontier coined the nickname “McCongressman” for Hern in reference to his McDonald’s franchises.[9] The nickname was subsequently picked up by other outlets after his election.[10][11] He sold his last McDonald’s franchise in 2021.[12]

Current businesses

In addition to his restaurant holdings, Hern started a number of other business enterprises in Oklahoma, including a hog farm, a community bank, and several high-school sports publications. In 2019, he owned a company that manufactured decor and furniture for some of the largest U.S. fast-food restaurant companies and was the wealthiest serving congressman from Oklahoma.[6][13] In 2023 he had assets worth between $36 million and $110 million.[14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hern’s KTAK Corporation received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed small business loans from American Bank and Trust as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. KTAK stated it would retain 220 jobs. The loan was seen as notable since Hern is a vocal opponent of deficit spending; in 2018, discussing a balanced budget, he said, “While there is no easy fix to this, the first step is clear: stop adding to it.” In 2020, he said, “This isn’t a bailout. It’s a repayment of what the government has taken away from American workers and businesses.”[15][16][17] KTAK operates franchises. During the Paycheck Protection Program negotiations, Hern pushed to increase the amount of aid going to franchises.[17] Hern was ranked number 7 in the United States House of Representatives by total number of stock trades while in office between January 2020 and January 2022 and violated the STOCK Act in 2021.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

After Jim Bridenstine resigned from the United States House of Representatives in 2018 to become administrator of NASA, Hern ran to succeed him in Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district in the 2018 elections. Hern advanced to the runoff,[19][20] where he defeated Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris.[21] He then advanced to the general election, where he defeated Democratic nominee Tim Gilpin.[22] Outgoing Governor Mary Fallin then appointed Hern to serve the rest of Bridenstine’s third term. She was able to do so because under Oklahoma law, if a House seat falls vacant in an even-numbered year and the incumbent’s term is due to end the following year, the governor can appoint someone to serve the remainder of the term. Accordingly, Hern was sworn into the House on November 13.[23][24]

2020

Hern defeated Democratic nominee Kojo Asamoa-Caesar and Independent Evelyn L. Rogers in the November 2020 general election.[25]

2022

Hern ran for a third term in 2022, despite speculation that he might run for the open Senate seat being vacated by Jim Inhofe.[26] Hern defeated Democratic nominee Adam Martin and Independent Evelyn L. Rogers in the November general election.[27]

Tenure

In December 2020, Hern was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[28] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[2][3][4] He also was among 147 congressional Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election results.[1] In 2022, Hern was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[29][30] In 2023, Hern was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[31][32]
He was later among 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[33] In July 2021, Hern voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military during its invasion of Afghanistan, while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed in the House 407–16.[34]

January 2023 Speaker election

On the eighth ballot of the 2023 Speaker of the House of Representatives election, Hern received two votes, from Representative Lauren Boebert and Representative Josh Brecheen. Hern himself voted for Kevin McCarthy.[35] He was officially nominated by Boebert on the ninth ballot and received three votes.[36] He was again nominated by Boebert on the tenth ballot,[37] and received seven votes.[35] On the 11th ballot, Representative Bob Good of Virginia nominated Hern and he received seven votes.[38][39] After the votes, Hern told The Frontier he was not ruling out a run for the Speakership and he would “think and pray about [it] before deciding.”[35] The next day, Kevin McCarthy secured the votes to win the election.[40]

October 2023 Speaker election

On October 4, 2023, he announced his campaign for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives after McCarthy was removed by a motion to vacate.[41] He suspended his campaign on October 7, saying a three-way speaker race was not in the interest of the party.[42] On October 11, he announced that he would seek the House Majority Leader post vacated by Steve Scalise;[43] the same day he voted for Scalise to be Speaker of the House during the Republican house caucus vote.[44] During his candidacy, Hern received news coverage for serving McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches to the Republican conference.[45][46] After Scalise dropped out of the race, Hern then supported Jim Jordan for the nomination during the first three votes.[47] On October 20, after Jim Jordan failed to be elected Speaker, Hern announced his reinstated candidature.[48][49] He lost the conference vote on October 24 to Tom Emmer after being eliminated in the third round of a four round vote.[50] The same day he suspended his campaign and endorsed Mike Johnson in the race.[51]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

During his political career Hern has positioned himself as close to Donald Trump and emphasized his own business experience.[14]

Welfare

Hern has called current welfare spending “tragic”. He is a strong supporter of work requirements for welfare programs and credits his support of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to its work requirement.[53]

Personal life

Hern and his wife, Tammy, have three children and two grandchildren.[54] It is his second marriage.[6]

Hern is Protestant.[55][56]

Electoral history

Republican primary results
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanTim Harris 28,392 27.5
RepublicanKevin Hern 23,425 22.7
RepublicanAndy Coleman22,58421.9
RepublicanNathan Dahm20,84320.2
RepublicanDanny Stockstill8,0867.8
Total votes103,330 100.0
Republican primary runoff results
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKevin Hern 40,373 54.9
RepublicanTim Harris33,13845.1
Total votes73,511 100.0
Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKevin Hern 150,129 59.3
DemocraticTim Gilpin103,04240.7
Total votes253,171 100.0
Republican hold
Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district, 2020[25]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKevin Hern (incumbent) 213,700 63.70
DemocraticKojo Asamoa-Caesar109,64132.68
IndependentEvelyn L. Rogers12,1303.62
Total votes335,471 100.0
Republican hold
Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district, 2022[27]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKevin Hern (incumbent) 142,800 61.16
DemocraticAdam Martin80,97434.68
IndependentEvelyn Rogers9,7214.16
Total votes233,495 100.0
Republican hold

References

  1. ^ a b Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). “The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results”. New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). “Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b “Order in Pending Case” (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Diaz, Daniella. “Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court”. CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ “Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern honors late mother on U.S. House floor”. Fox 23. January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Lockwood, Frank E. (February 25, 2019). “Multimillionaire burger maker with Arkansas roots ready to legislate in Congress”. Arkansas Online. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Hardiman, Samuel (August 5, 2016). “5 Questions with Kevin Hern, McDonald’s franchisee | 5 Questions”. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  8. ^ “Dover native receives Congressional GOP nomination in Oklahoma”. Couriernews.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Goforth, Dylan (June 25, 2018). “The McCongressman? Out-of-state McDonald’s money flows into the campaign of Tulsa restaurateur Kevin Hern”. The Frontier. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Gray, Sarah (September 16, 2021). “All Five Oklahoma Congressional Reps Stand Behind Anti-Semite, 9/11 Denier Rep. Marjorie Greene”. The Black Wall Street Times. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  11. ^ O’Brien, Timothy L. (July 7, 2020). ‘McCongressman’ Gets a Large Order of PPP”. Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (May 14, 2021). “First District Congressman Kevin Hern gets out of the hamburger business”. Tulsa World. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Casteel, Chris (January 27, 2019). “Hern worth more than rest of state’s congressional delegation combined”. The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Krehbiel, Randy (October 6, 2023). “Who is Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern?”. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Hamburger, Tom; Gregg, Aaron; Narayanswamy, Anu (July 8, 2020). “After railing against federal spending, GOP lawmakers, conservative groups benefit from government aid program”. Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Syed, Moiz; Willis, Derek (July 7, 2020). “KTAK CORPORATION I – Coronavirus Bailouts – ProPublica”. ProPublica. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  17. ^ a b “Treasury, SBA data show small-business loans went to private-equity backed chains, members of Congress”. The Washington Post. 2020.
  18. ^ Kight, Stef W.; Olde, Thomas (February 9, 2022). “The House’s top stock traders”. Axios. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (June 27, 2018). “Tim Harris, Kevin Hern headed to 1st Congressional District runoff; Democrats also going to second round”. Tulsa World. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  20. ^ “Rare runoffs to decide 1st Congressional District nominees | Homepagelatest”. tulsaworld.com. August 26, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ “Kevin Hern beats Tim Harris for Congressional 1st District Republican nomination”. tulsaworld.com. August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  22. ^ “Kevin Hern beats Tim Gilpin to replace Jim Bridenstine in Congress”. Tulsa World. November 6, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  23. ^ Sweeney, Catherine (November 8, 2018). “Hern taking office ahead of freshman congressional class”. The Journal Record.
  24. ^ “New 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern sworn in | Government”. tulsaworld.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  25. ^ a b “November 3, 2020 – Official Results”. Oklahoma State Election Board.
  26. ^ Gorman, Reese (April 14, 2022). “Catching up with Congress: Kevin Hern passes on a run for open U.S. Senate seat”. The Frontier. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  27. ^ a b “November 8 2022 Oklahoma Official results”. results.okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). “Biden officially secures enough electors to become president”. AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  29. ^ “House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled”. CNBC. September 29, 2022.
  30. ^ “H.R. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 — House Vote #460 — Sep 29, 2022”.
  31. ^ “H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … — House Vote #136 — Mar 8, 2023”.
  32. ^ “House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria”. Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
  33. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). “Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no”. The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  34. ^ Quarshie, Mabinty (August 17, 2021). “These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban”. USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  35. ^ a b c Krehbiel, Randy (January 5, 2023). “Kevin Hern gets votes for House speaker on third day of fight in D.C.” Tulsa World. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  36. ^ Chasmer, Jessica (January 5, 2023). “McCarthy set to lose 9th speaker vote, as Donalds and Hern split GOP votes”. Fox News. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  37. ^ Astor, Maggie (January 5, 2023). “Who is Kevin Hern? More about one of the rebels’ protest candidates”. The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  38. ^ Gold, Michael (January 5, 2023). “House Speaker Vote: Updates”. The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2023. As we enter the 11th ballot, we’re not done with speaker nominations yet. Bob Good of Virginia, after a long wind-up speech, is putting forward Kevin Hern as a candidate.
  39. ^ Dorn, Sara (January 5, 2023). “McCarthy Falls Short Again In Chaotic House Speaker Race—As Voting Stretches Past 11 Rounds For First Time In 163 Years”. Forbes. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  40. ^ Mascaro, Lisa; Amiri, Farnoush (January 7, 2023). “Kevin McCarthy wins House speaker in 15th round of voting”. Tulsa World. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  41. ^ Peterson, Kristina (October 4, 2023). “Rep. Kevin Hern to Run for Speaker”. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  42. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (October 7, 2023). “Kevin Hern backs off U.S. House speaker bid”. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  43. ^ “Speaker Election: Update from Robert Jimison”. The New York Times. October 11, 2023. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  44. ^ Keyes, Maddy (October 11, 2023). “Lucas, Hern back Scalise as other delegation members remain mum”. Enid News & Eagle. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  45. ^ Metzger, Bryan (October 12, 2023). “A former McDonalds franchise owner dubbed ‘McCongressman’ wants to be the GOP’s next House Majority Leader — and he’s handing out McGriddles to win his colleagues over”. Business Insider. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  46. ^ Ferris, Sarah (October 12, 2023). “Kevin Hern is making a special pitch in his House majority leader bid — McGriddles delivered to GOP offices”. POLITICO. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  47. ^ Maupin, Jennifer (October 20, 2023). “Rep. Hern announces run for Speaker of the House”. KJRH-TV. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  48. ^ Gabbatt, Adam; Yang, Maya; Stein, Chris (October 20, 2023). “Jim Jordan no longer Republican speaker candidate after losing secret ballot – US politics live”. The Guardian. At 19:31 in live report,
  49. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (October 20, 2023). “Kevin Hern says he’s back in House speaker race”. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  50. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (October 24, 2023). “Hern’s speaker bid stalled”. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  51. ^ “U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern drops back out of speaker’s race”. Tulsa World. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  52. ^ “Member List”. Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  53. ^ Polansky, Chris (July 21, 2021). “Hern: American Dream Means Working ‘Until You’re Not Here Anymore’. Public Radio Tulsa. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  54. ^ “Quick 5: Congressional District 1 candidates answer questions”. Muskogee Phoenix. October 31, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  55. ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). PEW Research Center. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  56. ^ “Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress”. Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district

2018–present
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by

Chair of the Republican Study Committee
2023–present
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

United States representatives by seniority
222nd
Succeeded by


X

Kevin Hern OK-01

Current Position: US Representative of OK 1st District since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Businessman from 1999 – 2018
District:  all of Tulsa County as well as portions of Creek, Rogers & Wagoner counties. 
Upcoming Election:

In 1997 he bought his first McDonald’s franchise and in 1999 he earned his MBA degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. After moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Hern expanded his McDonald’s franchises, eventually owning 18 franchises in the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Hern was a leading figure in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. On October 20, 2023, he again announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House after the withdrawal of Scalise and Jordan.

Featured Quote: 
Pelosi told Capitol police to arrest any of my staff that refused to wear a mask… yet Biden & Pelosi are letting almost 200k illegal immigrants per month pour across our southern border w/o regard to the spread of COVID across our country. Still they say they care about America?

Hern praises welfare reform, work requirements as the only path to self-sufficiency

OnAir Post: Kevin Hern OK-01

Josh Brecheen OK-02

Current Position: US Representative of OK 2nd District since 2023
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: State Senator from 2010 – 2018
District:   The district borders Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas and includes (in whole or in part) a total of 24 counties.[
Upcoming Election:

Josh Brecheen is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation.  In 2004, he was hired as a field representative for U.S. senator Tom Coburn, where he worked until his election to the Oklahoma Senate.

Josh Brecheen owns a motivational speaking business, Brecheen Keynotes and Seminars, as well as Rawhide Dirtworks, an excavation service.

OnAir Post: Josh Brecheen OK-02

Frank Lucas OK-03

Current Position: US Representative of OK 3rd District since 1994 (formerly 6th District)
Affiliation: Republican
District:   The district is bordered by New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and the Texas panhandle. 
Upcoming Election:

After Republicans won the House majority in the 2022 elections, Lucas became chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development, including NASA, NSF, NIST, and the OSTP.

Lucas laid out an ambitious agenda for the committee: independence for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal program to develop unmanned drones, advances in fusion energy, and research money for institutions other than those on the coasts.

Featured Quote: 
Today, instead of working with Republicans, House Democrats passed an appropriations bill jam-packed with partisan policy provisions and irresponsible levels of government spending. Congress must return to regular order.

ONR Extra with Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas

OnAir Post: Frank Lucas OK-03

Tom Cole OK-04

Current Position: US Representative of OK 4th District since 2003
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: Secretary of State of Oklahoma from 1996 – 1999
Other Positions:  Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations;
Chair, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Chair, Committee on Rules

Cole was the son of John D. Cole  who was the first Native American elected to the Oklahoma Senate.  His ancestors had been in the territory for five generations, and he was raised in Moore, halfway between Oklahoma City and Norman.

He served as an assistant professor in history and politics in college before entering politics and winning political office

Featured Quote: 
I’m struck by Cuban protestors celebrating U.S. freedoms while many Americans turn their backs on our own flag. As the brightest beacon for freedom & opportunity worldwide, the U.S. must stand with them in their fight for democracy. #SOSCuba

‘They are only dividing us further:’ Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole speaks against impeachment

OnAir Post: Tom Cole OK-04

Stephanie Bice OK-05

Current Position: US Representative of OK 5th District since 2021
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: State Senator from 2014 – 2020
District:  covers most of Oklahoma County and all of Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, as well as parts of Canadian and Logan counties.  
Upcoming Election:

Bice worked for eight years in financial oversight, business strategy and marketing for her family’s technology company in Oklahoma City. She later helped lead a boutique digital marketing agency in Oklahoma City as vice president of business development.

She is the first Iranian American and Pakistani American to be elected to Congress.

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July is almost over! This is your LAST CHANCE to share which issues should be my top priorities next month. Your answer directly impacts my direction in Congress. Please click below to complete my survey! Thank you!

Conversations with Candidates: State Sen. Stephanie Bice

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