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Kevin Hern

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Kevin Hern
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 13, 2018
Preceded byJim Bridenstine
Personal details
Born (1961-12-04) December 4, 1961 (age 62)
Belton, Missouri
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Tammy Hern
​
(m. 1994)​
Children3
EducationArkansas Tech University (BS)
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Arkansas at Little Rock (MBA)
WebsiteHouse 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 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 own eighteen franchises in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

2018 election

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 candidate Tim Gilpin.[6] Outgoing Governor Mary Fallin then appointed Hern to serve out 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 duly sworn into the House on November 13.[7][8]

Tenure

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Hern's KTAK Corporation received assistance 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 they would retain 220 jobs. Their loan was seen as notable, since Hern is a vocal supporter against 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]

Committee assignments

Electoral history

Republican primary results
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
Republican primary runoff results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kevin Hern 40,373 54.9
Republican Tim Harris 33,138 45.1
Total votes 73,511 100.0
Oklahoma's 1st congressional district, 2018
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

Personal life

Hern and his wife, Tammy, have three children and one grandchild.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Dover native receives Congressional GOP nomination in Oklahoma". Couriernews.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Hardiman, Samuel (August 5, 2016). "5 Questions with Kevin Hern, McDonald's franchisee | 5 Questions". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  3. ^ World, Randy Krehbiel Tulsa. "Tim Harris, Kevin Hern headed to 1st Congressional District runoff; Democrats also going to second round". Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "Rare runoffs to decide 1st Congressional District nominees | Homepagelatest". tulsaworld.com. August 26, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Kevin Hern beats Tim Harris for Congressional 1st District Republican nomination". tulsaworld.com. August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kevin Hern beats Tim Gilpin to replace Jim Bridenstine in Congress". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Catherine Sweeney (November 8, 2018). "Hern taking office ahead of freshman congressional class". The Journal Record.
  8. ^ "New 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern sworn in | Government". tulsaworld.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Syed, Moiz; Willis, Derek. "KTAK CORPORATION I - Coronavirus Bailouts - ProPublica". ProPublica. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Treasury, SBA data show small-business loans went to private-equity backed chains, members of Congress". The Washington Post. 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Quick 5: Congressional District 1 candidates answer questions". Muskogee Phoenix. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
2018–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
337th 		Succeeded by
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