Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Kim David’s bid to win a seat in congress failed in this week’s elections in Oklahoma.
Hoping to land the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District in northeast Oklahoma, David was one of 11 candidates who sought to be Kevin Hern’s replacement as he makes a run for U.S. Senate. When the final votes were tallied Tuesday night, David drew 4,720 votes or 6.54% out of the total of 72,202 votes cast in the race.
There was no winner declared and it will mean a possible runoff election will be held between Mark Tedford and Jackson Lahmeyer. Tedford received 23,217 votes or 32.16% while Lahmeyer received 18,676 votes or 25.87%.
Hours after the polls closed and the unofficial results were unveiled, Tedford received the surprise endorsement of President Donald Trump, reported KOTV News in Tulsa. It was a shift from the President’s previous endorsement of Lahmeyer, the minister who faced uncertainty in recent days over a text messaging scandal involving a female campaign worker.
The President announced his support for Tedford on Truth Social and also praised Lahmeyer’s efforts and thanked him for his support and work on behalf of his political movement.
“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances,” Trump wrote. “He has always been with me, and I will always be with him.”
Trump then endorsed Tedford, calling him an “America First patriot” and called him “Pro-Trump and MAGA all the way.”
Lahmeyer on Wednesday also announced he had suspended his campaign and was dropping out of the congressional race.
“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 said. “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. I sincerely appreciate all the support along the way. I will never forget those who stood by me and fought alongside us when I needed them the most.”
A possible decision will have to be made by the Election Board regarding whether there will be a runoff election, since the votes were declared in Tuesday’s election. If not, Tedford will advance to the general election in November to face Democrat John Croisant.
In one other energy related race, state Sen. Grant Green of Wellston narrowly avoided a runoff in his re-election bid challenged by Robert Trimble. Green, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, received 5,837 votes or 50.29% while challenger Trimble received 5,770 votes or 49.71%. It means Green, who will face Democrat Kevin M. Connor in November, avoided a runoff by 67 votes.
The Senate Energy Committee is primarily tasked with handling legislative issues relating to the protection of our state’s natural resources and regulation of the industries utilizing those resources. This covers issues such as water resources, exploration of oil and gas, telecommunications, the mining of coal or other minerals, public utilities, and the protection of land, air, and water quality. Agencies often working with the Energy Committee include the Corporation Commission, Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the Department of Mines.
