Trump Endorses Tedford in Oklahoma Congressional Race
President Donald Trump has fully endorsed Mark Tedford for the 1st Congressional District in Oklahoma, a significant shift that came just a day after the primary election.
This endorsement was announced shortly before Trump’s former choice, Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, formally ended his campaign. It was surprising, especially since Trump had expressed support for Lahmeyer only days prior.
“Mark is Pro Trump and MAGA all the way! A Proven Leader, Mark has served his Community as a Highly Respected State Legislator and Businessman prior to running for Congress,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
Initially, Trump had backed Lahmeyer ahead of a crowded Republican primary on Tuesday. However, with the primary results suggesting an August runoff between two leading candidates, Trump withdrew his endorsement, opting for Tedford instead, thereby effectively canceling the pending runoff.
“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” Trump noted in his post after the primary. “But when it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford.”
Following Trump’s announcement, Lahmeyer took to social media to declare the suspension of his campaign.
“After prayerful consideration with my wife, Kendra, and my team over the last twenty-four hours, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Congress,” Lahmeyer wrote on X before deleting his account. “I do not want to be a distraction to my family, my church, and the great people of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, who deserve a strong conservative voice representing them in Washington.”
Lahmeyer’s decision followed a report from the Daily Mail that claimed he had sent inappropriate romantic messages to a former campaign staff member.
The father of five acknowledged crossing a line in a statement on Sunday while describing the tabloid’s portrayal of the situation as distorted.
“This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors,” Lahmeyer wrote on X. “I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging. I also ended all communication. The British Tabloid tried to paint me out in a way which is not the case.”
