Hern to take oath Nov. 30 to become Oklahoma’s next US senator

OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican Kevin Hern will be sworn in Nov. 30 as the state’s next U.S. senator.

Hern’s swearing in will cut short the term of U.S. Sen. Alan Armstrong who had been tapped by Gov. Kevin Stitt earlier this year to temporarily fill the Senate seat.

Normally, new U.S. senators are sworn in January, but Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond determined that a provision of Oklahoma law allows Hern to take office as soon as the results are certified, which is expected to happen Tuesday evening.

Drummond issued an opinion last month that determined Hern could take office after the election results were certified because of the state law addressing how to handle the succession for nonelected gubernatorial appointees after voters elected his or her replacement.

Oklahoma’s Senate seat became vacant when Markwayne Mullin resigned March 23 to serve as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security.

Gov. Kevin Stitt in late March appointed Armstrong, a Republican, to fill the remainder of Mullin’s term. The same state law also prohibited Armstrong from running for the seat permanently. 

Because the Senate seat was already on this year’s ballot for a full six-year term, state law does not call for a separate special election, according to the opinion.

Instead, the winner is considered elected to both the remainder of the current term and the new term, the opinion said.

Hern last week defeated Democrat N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, Libertarian Sevier White and independents Ron Meinhardt and Curtis Stinnett.

NPR affiliate KOSU reported in September  that Armstrong wanted to continue serving until January, but Hern, who was serving in the U.S. House, wanted the winner to take office as soon as the election results were certified.

In a joint statement, Stitt, Hern and Armstrong said they were committed to a timely transition in the U.S. Senate.

Stitt and Hern said they were grateful for Armstrong’s service, particularly his effort to advance bipartisan permitting reform that will improve energy affordability and reliability, create good-paying jobs, and bolster American competitiveness, the statement said.