Thune, Tim Scott backing Hern for Mullin’s Senate seat

The Hill
by Max Rego
March 19, 2026
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3 min read

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Senate Majority Leader Thune and Sen. Scott endorsed Rep. Kevin Hern for Oklahoma's open Senate seat.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Tim Scott endorsed Rep. Kevin Hern for Oklahoma's open Senate seat on Thursday, as Hern seeks to replace outgoing Sen. Markwayne Mullin. The endorsement, announced through the National Republican Senatorial Committee where Scott serves as chair, carries significant weight in a competitive primary race in a reliably Republican state. Thune's backing is particularly notable given his leadership position in the Senate, which could influence party resources and other lawmakers' support for Hern's candidacy. The race will determine which Republican advances to the general election in Oklahoma, where the GOP holds a strong electoral advantage.

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