Tedford wins Oklahoma election to replace House’s Hern

Oklahoma state Rep. Mark Tedford (R) is projected to win the state’s 1st Congressional District election to replace Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), according to Decision Desk HQ .

Tedford beat his Democratic opponent, John Croisant, for the seat Hern left open after he decided to run for Oklahoma’s open Senate seat, which was previously occupied by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

The Republican led Croisant by just under five percentage points — 52.3 to 47.7 percent — with 90 percent of the vote reported by DDHQ as of 11:47 p.m. Tuesday.

Tedford has positioned himself as the establishment conservative choice. He was also endorsed by the Oklahoma House Speaker and the three Tulsa County commissioners.

He campaigned on strict enforcement of immigration laws, reducing inflationary spending, eliminating waste and fraud on the federal level and provisions focused on rebuilding the American economy, according to his campaign website .

The House seat has been held by Republicans since 1987 and was carried by President Trump in each of his presidential bids. The president did not endorse Tedford at first, instead choosing to back Jackson Lahmeyer, a Tulsa pastor.

Lahmeyer enjoyed a close relationship with the Trump family, even hosting some family members at his church. He dropped out of the primaries after the Daily Mail published intimate text messages between Lahmeyer and a woman who was not his wife, in which he called her “cute” and invited her to his hotel room.

While Lahmeyer argued on Facebook the messages were “carefully cherry-picked to create an impression that is not accurate,” he dropped out of the primaries as Trump rescinded his endorsement, choosing to back Tedford.

“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “But, when it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford.”