Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern On Speaker Of The House Removal, New Candidates

The shock from yesterday’s unprecedented removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House had barely begun to register before the names of possible candidates to replace him began popping up. And among those names is Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern.

Oklahomans may remember that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and a few other far-right Republicans put Representative Hern’s name into the mix back in January when it took the new House majority 15 votes to ultimately put McCarthy in the Speaker’s office. Nine months later, Hern says the number of his colleagues encouraging him to run has grown.

"We’re probably up to around 50 or 60 so far," Rep. Hern said in an interview late Tuesday night.

Hern had generally been supportive of Speaker McCarthy and, indeed, voted to retain him as Speaker, but within a few hours of his ouster, Hern was ready to move on.

"What’s happened has happened," Hern stated simply, "it’s time for us to move forward and that’s what we’re getting ready to do."

For the first district congressman, that now means answering the question of whether to run for speaker himself against at least two of the biggest names in the Republicans conference. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan both confirmed Wednesday that they are running.

Hern's communications director said he would not make an announcement Wednesday, but the Congressman certainly hinted at his intentions, saying members are looking for a leader who's not part of the institution.

"Somebody like me that’s only been here for five years, spent 35 years in business, leading organizations, leading people," he said, "they’re looking for somebody to do something different, and I think that’s what I bring to the table."

Like Scalise and Jordan, Hern is reaching out across the conference to see what sort of support he has, but he says he's confident he could unite what has so far been a frequently divided conference because of his disciplined approach to spending, especially on the Republican Study Committee, which he currently chairs.

"I’ve worked diligently with the Republican Study Committee to create budgets that balance, something that every American has to do," Rep. Hern said, "and there’s nobody else in Congress that can say that."

It's not clear how Hern rates with more moderates in the Republican conference, but he has developed a strong reputation among the more conservative wing. So have his potential opponents.

"I'm not going to take a position," said Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). "Kevin's a friend, he's a good man; [Jim] Jordan's a friend, he's a good man; Steve Scalise is a friend and a good man...I'm gonna talk this out with the family and figure out where we're gonna go."

A Speaker candidates forum is set for next Tuesday, with votes potentially beginning the following day.