By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — The day after he advanced to a runoff election, Jackson Lahmeyer abruptly ended his campaign for a seat in the U.S. House representing Oklahoma’s First Congressional District.
President Donald Trump had previously endorsed Lahmeyer, but announced on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon that he had shifted his endorsement to his Republican opponent, state Rep. Mark Tedford.
Trump posted his endorsement switch just minutes before Lahmeyer announced he was suspending his campaign for the Tulsa-area seat.
“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 posted on social media. “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.”
On Sunday, Lahmeyer posted a statement on Facebook that he had crossed “a boundary line through text messaging.”
“This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors,” Lahmeyer posted. “I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging. I also ended all communication.”
Lahmeyer and Tedford on Tuesday advanced from a crowded field of challengers to advance to a Republican runoff on Aug. 25. Tedford received 32% of the primary votes while pastor Jackson Lahmeyer had nearly 26%.
Oklahoma law allows candidates to withdraw from a primary runoff campaign if they file written notice with the state Election Board by 5 p.m. Friday.
Lahmeyer’s statement did not say if he planned to withdraw.
Lahmeyer is a pastor for Sheridan.Church and the founder of Pastors for Trump, a coalition of religious leaders who supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday that Tedford had his “complete and total endorsement” in the congressional race.
“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” the president wrote.
Tedford did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.
