Jackson Lahmeyer, a pastor endorsed by President Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday that he was leaving the race for Oklahoma‘s 1st Congressional District after winning fewer votes than anticipated in Tuesday’s primary election.
Lahmeyer’s House campaign was roiled by reports alleging he exchanged flirtatious messages with campaign aide Caitlin Simmons Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA, while married. The pastor earned 25.9% of the Republican primary vote, behind state Rep. Mark Tedford at 32.2%. Lahmeyer and Tedford were set to face off in an August runoff election.
“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 posted on X. “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.”
The president thanked Lahmeyer, founder of Pastors for Trump, for his effort and backed Tedford minutes before the campaign announcement on X.
“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” Trump posted 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. Mark is Pro Trump and MAGA all the way!”
Key told the Daily Mail she and Lahmeyer had kissed on several occasions and exchanged thousands of text messages.
FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM GEORGIA, DC, ALABAMA, AND OKLAHOMA PRIMARY ELECTIONS
After Trump endorsed Lahmeyer in May, Key shared the president’s endorsement online. Lahmeyer’s wife, Kendra, replied to Key’s post saying, “You are a home wrecking whore. Did you enjoy ruining our family?” Kendra continued, “He has 5 kids.”
Lahmeyer was not the only Trump-backed candidate to face an electoral setback this week. Georgia’s Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones had the support of both the president and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), but lost to billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in the GOP gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.