Jackson Lahmeyer withdraws from Oklahoma GOP House runoff after reports of inappropriate texts
Trump reversed his endorsement after text-message reports, and Lahmeyer said he was suspending his campaign as Tedford became the presumptive nominee.
- On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Tulsa-area pastor Jackson Lahmeyer suspended his campaign for Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District one day after advancing to a Republican primary runoff.
- Lahmeyer's withdrawal followed a Daily Mail report publishing text messages between the pastor and Caitlin Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA. He admitted to 'crossing a boundary line through text messaging' but criticized the report's timing.
- President Donald Trump rescinded his endorsement of Lahmeyer on Wednesday, announcing he would instead support state lawmaker Mark Tedford. Trump declared Tedford "a pro-Trump and MAGA all the way!"
- Lahmeyer's exit leaves Tedford as the Republican nominee for the solid-red district currently represented by Congressman Kevin Hern. House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed Tedford in a joint statement with GOP leadership.
- The Tulsa-anchored seat opened after Hern declared his candidacy for the vacant Senate seat earlier this year. Rated solid red by the Cook Political Report, the district positions Tedford for likely victory in November.
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Trump-Endorsed Congressional Candidate Drops Out Over Text Message Scandal
Source: Jackson Lahmeyer For U.S. Congress / other Jackson Lahmeyer, a Trump-endorsed Congressional candidate, has suspended his campaign after it was revealed he had been sending romantic text messages to a woman who wasn’t his wife. A Republican pastor engaged in infidelity?? I’m shocked, I tell you. Stunned. The Washington Post reports that on Tuesday, Lahmeyer, a megachurch minister who founded Pastors for Trump, advanced to a runoff elect…
Jackson Lahmeyer suspended his campaign in Oklahoma after a controversy over text messages that shook his candidacy
Pastors for Trump founder quits race over romantic texts to former Miss Oklahoma
Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma megachurch minister who founded Pastors for Trump, has withdrawn from a runoff for a U.S. House seat from Oklahoma, following reports that he had sent romantic text messages to a woman who is not his wife.
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