Kevin Hern

Kevin Hern's route to owning McDonald's restaurants included engineering, computer programming, real estate and raising hogs.¹ In 1997, he sold the farm to purchase his first restaurant in North Little Rock, Arkansas.¹ He and his wife, Tammy, now live in Tulsa and have three children and three grandchildren.¹

In high school, Hern earned an architectural drafting certificate that helped him pay for an engineering degree; he later earned an MBA.¹ He worked as an aerospace engineer for Rockwell International before moving into restaurant management.¹ He spent ten years managing restaurants for another franchise owner before buying his own.¹

After buying two Muskogee restaurants in 1999, Hern moved his family to Oklahoma and eventually built an operation of 24 McDonald's locations.¹ He entered Congress in November 2018 and chaired the Republican Study Committee before leading the House Republican Policy Committee.¹ His legislative proposals have included withholding federal funding from schools retaining Confucius Classroom programs.²

His Senate campaign backs stronger border enforcement, gun rights, a balanced budget amendment and Trump's policy agenda.² He also emphasizes access to capital for small businesses and opposition to additional abortion funding.² He faces Democrat N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas on November 3 for the seat currently held by appointed Senator Alan Armstrong, giving voters a choice about the next full term of representation.³⁴