Trump switches support in Oklahoma congressional race as formerly endorsed pastor candidate suspends campaign
Lahmeyer said he decided to suspend his campaign before Trump announced a new endorsement.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The page republishes reporting attributed to Fox News Digital, an established national outlet, while Yahoo provides limited original reporting or author transparency on this page. The article includes direct quotations and notes that relevant parties were contacted, though the reason for Trump’s decision remains unexplained.
- Source type — National-news reporting is a credible prior, though this page republishes another outlet’s work.
- Author attribution — The reporting is repeatedly attributed to Fox News Digital, but no individual author is identified.
- Transparency — The story identifies sources for key claims and describes efforts to obtain comment.
- Editorial standards — The page provides no specific information about corrections or editorial standards.
The article uses direct statements from Lahmeyer, reports the election results with attribution, and says Fox News Digital sought comment from the candidates and White House. It does not establish why Trump changed his endorsement, and the White House provided no explanation.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story includes Lahmeyer’s explanation that his decision preceded Trump’s endorsement switch and reports Trump’s endorsement statement. It notes that the White House offered no further comment, leaving the reason for the reversal unresolved.
- Source diversity — The article includes statements from Lahmeyer and Trump, along with the White House’s limited response.
- Counterarguments presented — Lahmeyer disputes the characterization of reports about his communications, but the article does not include a detailed response from Tedford.
- Omitted context — The reason for Trump’s endorsement change is not explained by Trump or the White House.
- Loaded language — The article is generally restrained, though it describes the reversal as dramatic.
The article reports the endorsement change, campaign suspension and election results in mostly straightforward language. It presents Lahmeyer’s account and Trump’s endorsement statement without taking a discernible partisan position.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language; the reversal is called dramatic, but the account remains factual in tone.
- Source selection — The story quotes Lahmeyer and Trump’s statement and reports the White House response to a request for comment.
- Framing — The article centers on the endorsement reversal and campaign suspension without arguing for either candidate.
Republished with credit
Republished from Fox News, with credit to the original publisher.
1,162 stories · 69.6–70.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026
This is Fox News's own score, and this article is credited to Fox News. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of Jackson Lahmeyer and backed Mark Tedford in Oklahoma’s Republican congressional race. Lahmeyer said he had decided to suspend his campaign the night before Trump’s switch; primary results showed Tedford and Lahmeyer advancing to a runoff.
Trump announced his support for Tedford on Wednesday, reversing an earlier endorsement of Lahmeyer. Lahmeyer said he had decided the previous night to end his campaign and told his wife and campaign team before Trump’s announcement. He later said he was suspending his campaign after considering the decision with his wife and team.
Associated Press results showed Tedford finishing first with 32.2% and Lahmeyer second with 25.9%, sending both to a runoff to succeed Rep. Kevin Hern, who is running for the U.S. Senate. The article says the White House referred questions about the endorsement change to Trump’s statement and did not explain the reason for the switch. It also reports that Lahmeyer acknowledged crossing “a boundary line through text messaging” while disputing what he called a misleading characterization of the situation.
Community verdict
15 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →President who withdrew his endorsement of Lahmeyer and backed Tedford
Trump's version of this story ↗Oklahoma representative whose seat the candidates are seeking
Republican House candidate who received Trump’s endorsement and advanced to the runoff
Part of a bigger story
30 OUTLETSOutlets report that Lahmeyer suspended his Oklahoma congressional campaign after reports about text messages involving a former campaign fundraiser. They also report that Trump withdrew his endorsement and backed Mark Tedford. Left-leaning outlets frame the withdrawal as a scandal-driven political rebuke, including a contrast over how parties handle candidate scandals. Center outlets mostly recount the messages, Lahmeyer’s response and the campaign fallout in attributed, descriptive terms. Right-leaning outlets focus more on Trump’s endorsement switch and its effect on the race, with some also reporting Lahmeyer’s claim that his decision came first.
- ARTICLES
- 34
- OUTLETS
- 30
- AVG CRED
- 73
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