Prior to serving in Congress, Kerns was an administrator at St. Joseph's College, and a television journalist.

During his term in Congress, Kerns took up many social issues including gun rights and working to ban human cloning.

[1] After the 2000 United States Census, Kerns' district, which stretched from Terre Haute to West Lafayette, Indiana, was eliminated.

However, Kerns' home in Terre Haute was placed in the Evansville-based 8th district of another Republican, John Hostettler.

[2] Rather than challenge Hostettler for the Republican nomination in the 8th, Kerns moved to Hendricks County to face Buyer, and lost.