Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer ended his bid for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District on Wednesday, hours after President Trump pulled his endorsement and threw support behind Lahmeyer’s opponent. The abrupt exit follows a scandal involving intimate text messages that derailed his campaign.
Lahmeyer, who had secured Trump’s backing earlier in the race, announced his suspension in a statement, saying he did not want to be a distraction to his family, church, or the district’s voters. “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,” he said.
The pastor’s decision came just after Trump posted on Truth Social that he would now support state Rep. Mark Tedford, calling him an “America First Patriot.” Trump wrote that he appreciated Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances but had shifted his endorsement. The two candidates had advanced to an August 25 runoff for the seat currently held by Rep. Kevin Hern, who is running for an open Senate seat after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin left to join Trump’s Cabinet.
Lahmeyer insisted his withdrawal was not triggered by Trump’s move. “I made my decision to drop out of the race last night. I decided to choose my wife over my ambition,” he told The Hill. He said he informed his wife late Tuesday and his campaign team early Wednesday, before the president’s announcement.
The scandal that upended Lahmeyer’s campaign emerged Sunday when the Daily Mail published intimate text messages between him and Caitlin Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA 2007 who had worked as a fundraiser for his campaign. In the texts, Lahmeyer called her “cute” and invited her to his hotel room. Lahmeyer acknowledged the messages, admitting to “crossing a boundary line through text messaging” in a Facebook post, but argued they were “carefully cherry-picked to create an impression that is not accurate.”
Lahmeyer, who runs a Tulsa church visited by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, was deeply tied to the MAGA movement. He founded Pastors for Trump, helped mobilize evangelical voters in 2024, and backed the president’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. His exit leaves Tedford as the Republican nominee in the solidly red district, which Trump won by 21 points in 2024. The Cook Political Report rates it as safe Republican territory.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also endorsed Tedford, saying in a joint statement with House GOP leadership that Tedford “will help us continue to deliver safe streets, secure borders, a strong economy, and peace through strength.” Tedford now heads into the general election as the heavy favorite.
This shake-up in Oklahoma comes as political dynamics shift nationally. In other developments, the Trump administration has been navigating complex international negotiations, including softening a 60-day Iran deadline and hinting at longer talks, while also facing scrutiny over reported discussions about suspending habeas corpus.
