Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 1st district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 13, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Bridenstine |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 4, 1961 Belton, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Tammy Hern (m. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Arkansas Tech University (BS) University of Arkansas at Little Rock (MBA) |
| Website | House website |
Kevin Ray Hern (born December 4, 1961) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the United States House of Representatives for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district. He was first elected in 2018.
Early life and education[]
Hern graduated from Dover High School in Dover, Arkansas, in 1980, and Arkansas Tech University in 1986.[1] He worked at Rockwell International and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying for a Ph.D. in astronautical engineering.[2]
Career[]
After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Hern had difficulty finding a job, and became a McDonald's franchisee. He bought his first McDonald's in North Little Rock, Arkansas in 1997. He sold the North Little Rock 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.[2]
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,[3][4] where he defeated Tim Harris.[5] He then advanced to the general election, where he defeated Democratic nominee Tim Gilpin.[6] Outgoing Governor Mary Fallin then appointed Hern to serve the balance 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.[7][8]
- 2020
Hern defeated Democratic nominee Kojo Asamoa-Caesar and Independent Evelyn L. Rogers in the November 2020 general election.
Tenure[]
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."[9][10][11] KTAK operates franchises. During the Paycheck Protection Program negotiations, Hern pushed to increase the amount of aid going to franchises.[11]
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[12] 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.[13][14][15]
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.[16]
Committee assignments[]
- Committee on Ways and Means (117th Congress)
- Subcommittee on Social Security
- Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
- Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support
- Committee on Small Business (116th Congress)
- Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Health and Technology
- Committee on Natural Resources (116th Congress)
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Deputy Republican Leader)
- Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States
- Committee on the Budget (116th Congress)
Caucus memberships[]
- Republican Study Committee[17]
Electoral history[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Harris | 28,392 | 27.5 | |
| Republican | Kevin Hern | 23,425 | 22.7 | |
| Republican | Andy Coleman | 22,584 | 21.9 | |
| Republican | Nathan Dahm | 20,843 | 20.2 | |
| Republican | Danny Stockstill | 8,086 | 7.8 | |
| Total votes | 103,330 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Hern | 40,373 | 54.9 | |
| Republican | Tim Harris | 33,138 | 45.1 | |
| Total votes | 73,511 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Hern | 150,129 | 59.3 | |
| Democratic | Tim Gilpin | 103,042 | 40.7 | |
| Total votes | 253,171 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Hern | 213,700 | 63.70 | |
| Democratic | Kojo Asamoa-Caesar | 109,641 | 32.68 | |
| Independent | Evelyn L. Rogers | 12,130 | 3.62 | |
| Total votes | 335,471 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life[]
Hern and his wife, Tammy, have three children and two grandchildren.[18]
References[]
- ^ "Dover native receives Congressional GOP nomination in Oklahoma". Couriernews.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Hardiman, Samuel (August 5, 2016). "5 Questions with Kevin Hern, McDonald's franchisee | 5 Questions". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ World, Randy Krehbiel Tulsa. "Tim Harris, Kevin Hern headed to 1st Congressional District runoff; Democrats also going to second round". Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Rare runoffs to decide 1st Congressional District nominees | Homepagelatest". tulsaworld.com. August 26, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Kevin Hern beats Tim Harris for Congressional 1st District Republican nomination". tulsaworld.com. August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ^ "Kevin Hern beats Tim Gilpin to replace Jim Bridenstine in Congress". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Catherine Sweeney (November 8, 2018). "Hern taking office ahead of freshman congressional class". The Journal Record.
- ^ "New 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern sworn in | Government". tulsaworld.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Tom Hamburger; Aaron Gregg; Anu Narayanswamy (July 8, 2020). "After railing against federal spending, GOP lawmakers, conservative groups benefit from government aid program". Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ Syed, Moiz; Willis, Derek. "KTAK CORPORATION I - Coronavirus Bailouts - ProPublica". ProPublica. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ a b "Treasury, SBA data show small-business loans went to private-equity backed chains, members of Congress". The Washington Post. 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Quarshie, Mabinty (August 17, 2021). "These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Quick 5: Congressional District 1 candidates answer questions". Muskogee Phoenix. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
External links[]
- Congressman Kevin Hern official U.S. House website
- Kevin Hern for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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- Arkansas Tech University alumni
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Republicans
- People from Pope County, Arkansas
- People from Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma
- 1961 births
- 21st-century American politicians