Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jun 17

Lahmeyer Quits Oklahoma House Race, Handing Tedford Primary Win After 32%-25% Runoff Finish

Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jun 17

Lahmeyer Quits Oklahoma House Race, Handing Tedford Primary Win After 32%-25% Runoff Finish

Q: Why did the President's support for a candidate vanish just 48 hours after a texting scandal emerged?

Trump’s support appears to have been pulled because the texting scandal suddenly made Jackson Lahmeyer politically untenable, not because any deeper official explanation was publicly given. The timeline is clear. The Daily Mail published intimate messages on Sunday. Lahmeyer then acknowledged sending them, saying he had “crossed a boundary line.” Trump had still reiterated his endorsement on Monday, but by Wednesday he rescinded it. Minutes later, Lahmeyer dropped out, saying he did not want to be a “distraction” to his family, church, or voters in Oklahoma’s 1st District. The available reporting does not show Trump publicly explaining his reversal in detail. But the practical reason is evident: the scandal created a fast-moving liability around a candidate already heading into a runoff. In congressional races, personal-conduct controversies can quickly damage viability, especially when the candidate admits the underlying behavior. Research cited in the background material also shows voters tend to punish sexual or relationship-related misconduct, particularly involving male candidates. There was also little strategic reason to absorb that risk in this district. Oklahoma’s 1st is a reliably Republican seat, and Mark Tedford had already advanced to the runoff and became the presumptive nominee once Lahmeyer withdrew. In that context, withdrawing the endorsement was a swift damage-control move after the scandal made Lahmeyer a weaker and more distracting standard-bearer.

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 17

Jackson Lahmeyer ended his Oklahoma 1st District House campaign a day after the primary, giving state Rep. Mark Tedford the GOP nomination without a runoff.
Tedford had led Tuesday’s vote with 32% to Lahmeyer’s 25%, but neither cleared the majority needed to avoid a second round before Lahmeyer withdrew.
Trump had praised Lahmeyer as recently as Monday, then switched to Tedford after reports of inappropriate text messages; Lahmeyer said he did not want to be a distraction.
Tedford entered the race with backing from state House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and a financial edge, including about $600,000 in self-funding.
In the deep-red district, Tedford is now heavily favored to replace Rep. Kevin Hern, who is running for Senate, as another Trump-backed candidate falls short in a primary.