Jackson Lahmeyer, the pastor who founded Pastors for Trump, suspended his campaign for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District just one day after advancing to a Republican runoff.
On Tuesday night, Lahmeyer was still being presented as the Trump-backed candidate moving forward. By Wednesday, President Trump publicly shifted his support to Mark Tedford.
Lahmeyer acknowledged that he had crossed a boundary through text messaging and then announced he was suspending his campaign, stating he did not want to become a distraction to his family, church, or Oklahoma voters.
The withdrawal appears to clear the path for Tedford in the deep-red Tulsa-area district. This development occurs as the district is open following former Representative Kevin Hern’s launch of a Senate bid, making the Republican nomination the central prize in a heavily red seat.
For Lahmeyer, it was a dramatic turn from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon. For Tedford, it represents an endorsement reset that can change a race overnight.
