Trump Withdraws Endorsement from Lahmeyer, Supports Tedford

President Donald Trump has removed his endorsement of Oklahoma GOP congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer and has endorsed Republican rival Mark Tedford. This shift occurred just before Lahmeyer announced he was suspending his campaign.

Lahmeyer stated that his decision to end his campaign came the evening before Trump’s endorsement change. He informed his wife and campaign team prior to the public announcement.

Lahmeyer told Fox News Digital, “I made my decision to drop out of the race last night. I decided to choose my wife over my ambition. I informed my wife about my decision late last night and then my campaign team early this morning. My decision did not take place because of the decision of POTUS this afternoon.”

According to AP results, Tedford secured 32.2% of votes while Lahmeyer had 25.9%. Both will advance to a runoff election to replace Rep. Kevin Hern, who is pursuing a U.S. Senate seat.

Trump had previously voiced strong support for Lahmeyer, calling him a “MAGA Warrior.” The endorsement shift was notable in the 2026 midterm cycle. At 2:23 p.m., Trump announced on Truth Social his backing of Tedford.

Trump wrote, “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.”

Trump characterized Tedford as “Pro Trump and MAGA all the way,” offering him his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” At roughly 2:32 p.m., Lahmeyer announced on X the suspension of his campaign.

Lahmeyer stated, “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. 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.”

Fox News Digital reached out for comments from Lahmeyer, Tedford, and the White House. A White House official referred to Trump’s Truth Social post without further comment.

Previously, Lahmeyer aimed to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. Trump’s endorsement change marks a significant turn after earlier endorsing Lahmeyer before the June 16 primary. The endorsement reversal came amid a challenging period for Lahmeyer’s campaign, including reports of his communications with former Miss Oklahoma USA Caitlin Simmons Key. Lahmeyer admitted to crossing “a boundary line through text messaging” but challenged the portrayal of the incident.

Neither Trump nor the White House has publicly clarified the reasons behind the endorsement change. Tedford is now the likely Republican nominee in the heavily GOP-favored district. Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, focusing on politics, the military, faith, and culture.