Trump Withdraws Endorsement of Oklahoma Candidate Lahmeyer in Favor of Tedford

President Donald Trump recently reversed his endorsement decision for the Oklahoma GOP congressional race. He withdrew his support from candidate Jackson Lahmeyer and endorsed Republican rival Mark Tedford instead. This change took place before Lahmeyer announced his campaign suspension. According to Lahmeyer, he decided to end his campaign the night before and informed his wife and campaign team prior to Trump’s switch.

Lahmeyer stated, “I made my decision to drop out of the race last night. I decided to choose my wife over my ambition.” He informed his team early the next morning, asserting that his withdrawal was independent of Trump’s decision.

According to AP results, Tedford secured the first position with 32.2%, while Lahmeyer had 25.9%. Both were set to advance to a runoff to succeed Rep. Kevin Hern, who is pursuing a Senate position.

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Jackson Lahmeyer, a pastor, formally suspended his campaign for House District OK-01 through a public statement. His announcement occurred minutes after Trump’s declaration on Truth Social. Trump had initially categorized Lahmeyer as a “MAGA Warrior,” highlighting the reversal as significant for the 2026 midterm cycle. At 2:23 p.m., Trump announced his new support for Tedford on Truth Social, acknowledging Lahmeyer’s efforts but declaring Tedford as “America First Patriot”.

Trump stated, “I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances. He has always been with me, and I will always be with him. But, when it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford.” Tedford was deemed to have Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

At 2:32 p.m., Lahmeyer shared on social media that he would suspend his campaign, commenting, “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.” He emphasized a desire not to distract from his family, church, and Oklahoma constituents.

Fox News reached out to both candidates and the White House for remarks. A White House official referred to Trump’s statements without further comment.

Lahmeyer, who was aiming to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, faced challenges in recent times. Reports emerged about communications with former Miss Oklahoma USA Caitlin Simmons Key. Lahmeyer acknowledged crossing a line through text messages but contested the portrayal of events.

Neither President Trump nor the White House publicly explained the shift in endorsement. Tedford emerges as a strong candidate for the Republican nomination in Oklahoma’s conservative district.