Pastor’s withdrawal ends Republican runoff and comes hours before President Donald Trump abandoned his support for Jackson Lahmeyer and endorsed state Rep. Mark Tedford.
TULSA — Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer has withdrawn from Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District race, ending the Republican runoff and clearing the way for state Rep. Mark Tedford to become the GOP nominee for the open seat.
Lahmeyer’s withdrawal was first reported Wednesday by NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman and later confirmed by Lahmeyer.
Hours after reports of Lahmeyer’s impending departure surfaced, President Donald Trump abandoned his previous support for Lahmeyer and endorsed Tedford in a Truth Social post.
Trump praised Lahmeyer as someone who “has always been with me” but said he would instead support Tedford in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern.
“I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford,” Trump wrote. “Mark is Pro Trump and MAGA all the way!”
Trump called Tedford a “Proven Leader” and gave him his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to become the next representative from Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District.
The endorsement reversal was particularly striking because Trump had previously endorsed Lahmeyer as a “MAGA Warrior” who had been with him “from the very beginning” of the Make America Great Again movement. Trump had reiterated his support for Lahmeyer just days earlier.
Lahmeyer’s withdrawal comes after a political uproar over allegations that he crossed professional boundaries in text exchanges with campaign fundraiser and former Miss Oklahoma USA Caitlin Simmons Key. Lahmeyer acknowledged crossing a line in the communications but denied any inappropriate relationship and characterized the controversy as politically motivated.
Tedford, a state representative from Jenks, finished first in Tuesday’s crowded Republican primary, while Lahmeyer secured the second runoff spot.
According to Oklahoma election officials cited by NOTUS, Lahmeyer’s withdrawal means Tedford will become the Republican nominee rather than triggering another runoff election.
Tedford will now advance to the November general election in the heavily Republican district, which includes all of Tulsa County and portions of Creek, Rogers and Wagoner counties. The GOP nominee is heavily favored to win the seat being vacated by Hern.
