Jenks lawmaker tops crowded field despite Trump’s backing of Lahmeyer, setting up an Aug. 25 showdown in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District.
TULSA — State Rep. Mark Tedford, an insurance executive from Jenks, finished first Tuesday in the Republican primary for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, outpacing Trump-endorsed conservative activist Jackson Lahmeyer by more than six percentage points and setting up an Aug. 25 runoff between the two candidates.
With all 297 precincts reporting, Tedford received 23,217 votes, or 32.2%, while Lahmeyer finished second with 18,676 votes, or 25.9%. The margin between the two candidates was 4,541 votes, or 6.3 percentage points. Neither candidate secured the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Nathan Butterfield finished third with 11,525 votes, or 16.0%, followed by Corporation Commissioner Kim David with 4,720 votes, or 6.5%; Tulsa government affairs executive Jed Cochran with 3,416 votes, or 4.7%; and Courtney Gill with 2,904 votes, or 4.0%.
The result came after a tumultuous final weekend of campaigning in which Lahmeyer acknowledged that he had “crossed a boundary line through text messaging” following a tabloid report alleging inappropriate communications with a former campaign fundraiser. Lahmeyer disputed the report’s characterization of the matter and said he had addressed it privately with his wife and spiritual advisers. Trump reiterated his endorsement of Lahmeyer on Monday despite the controversy.
Tedford, who chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, campaigned as a conservative focused on economic growth, public safety and government efficiency. His first-place finish gives him momentum heading into the runoff and establishes him as the front-runner in the two-candidate contest.
Lahmeyer, a pastor and former U.S. Senate candidate, built his campaign around his national conservative profile and support from Trump and other high-profile conservative figures. Although the endorsement was not enough to propel him to a first-place finish, it helped keep him highly competitive and positioned him for a head-to-head runoff with Tedford.
The controversy did not prevent Lahmeyer from advancing, nor did Trump’s endorsement prevent Tedford from claiming a decisive first-place finish. The Aug. 25 contest now becomes one of Oklahoma’s most closely watched political races as Republicans choose between a state lawmaker with deep roots in the district and a nationally known conservative activist backed by the president.
Both campaigns are expected to immediately begin courting supporters of Butterfield, David, Cochran and Gill as they seek to consolidate support among Republican voters ahead of the Aug. 25 runoff.
