Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma Senate primary, pushes SAVE Act in Congress

Deep in Trump country, a Republican running for a Senate seat is wondering why his potential future colleagues can’t pass a key voter ID and citizenship verification bill.

Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., cruised to a primary victory in the Sooner State on Tuesday night, where he told Fox News Digital in an interview that the one thing he keeps hearing from voters is whether Congress will pass the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

“You know, they say we need to work on the SAVINGS Act,” Hern said ahead of primary Election Day. “I mean, this happens over and over again.”

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But the legislation remained in the Senate, where all Democrats vowed to block it. A group of Republicans also voted against the bill in various ways.

“This is something I’m not sure why Republican senators don’t support,” Hern said. “I understand why Democrats don’t support this. They don’t support anything that protects America.”

Hern served five terms in the House, rising to the fourth-highest role in the chain of House GOP leadership as the Republican House Policy chairman. Also former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. When he was dismissed, he also ran for Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The decision to leave the House of Representatives and seek a seat in the Senate comes after President Donald Trump appointed his fellow Oklahoman, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, to head DHS.

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Since entering the race earlier this year, Hern has garnered a lot of support from senators and Trump; Trump praised the lawmaker, saying he was “strongly supported by the fiercest MAGA Warriors in Oklahoma and the most Respected Leaders of the United States Senate.”

And Hern knows that Oklahoma is Trump country, and that voters there “love the president. They love that I support the president and work with the president.”

Given that Trump has won the state and all 77 counties in the state three times, Hern is unlikely to face strong adversity in November against one of the half-dozen Democratic candidates seeking the nomination in the Sooner State.

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President Donald Trump speaks during the proclamation signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026 (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

That doesn’t mean he plans to rest on his laurels until November. Hern, who grew up without indoor plumbing, said he knows the value of work and preparation. This is what gave him his own McDonald’s franchise empire, where he owns 24 restaurants in Oklahoma; His past life in business also earned him the nickname “McCongressman”.

“I just respect the idea of ​​working. I think working hard gives you a chance to compete with everyone,” Hern said. “And the same thing happened in the Senate race. I came out strong, set a tone from day one.”

“The president endorsed me in the first 48 hours for the work I have done over the last eight years,” he continued. “And I think it goes back to the word collaboration and hard work.”

And if successful in November, Hern isn’t closing off the option of seeking a seat in the Senate GOP leadership.

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Hern said he would tell everyone throughout his business career: “If you wait until something is available and you start working hard, it’s too late because there are other people like me who started in the proverbial parking lot.”

“There are people who think they’re ready to lead at third base, and I walk past them and say, ‘Who is this guy?’ they say. And a guy like me who works hard, positions himself, builds relationships,” Hern said. “And I think that’s important going forward, and we’ll see what becomes clear.”