Jun. 17, 2026, 9:50 PM EDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Republican congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer has dropped out of a runoff for a U.S. House in Oklahoma following reports that he had sent intimate text messages to a woman who was not his wife.<\/p>\n

“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, a candidate for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, said in a statement Wednesday.<\/p>\n

“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,” he added.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump initially endorsed Lahmeyer, whom he called a “MAGA Warrior,”<\/a> in May but withdrew his support following the controversy. Soon after, Trump endorsed Lahmeyer’s opponent<\/a>Mark Tedford, who now becomes the Republican nominee by default.<\/p>\n

“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 wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “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!”<\/p>\n

Lahmeyer, a pastor Sheridan Church in Tulsa, centered his congressional campaign<\/a> around his Christian faith.<\/p>\n

Lahmeyer dropped out of the race after the Daily Mail reported<\/a> Sunday that he had exchanged numerous romantic text messages with Caitlin Simmons Key, who worked as a fundraiser for his campaign. In one text message obtained by the Daily Mail, Lahmeyer allegedly invited Key into his hotel room. Key also alleged that Lahmeyer once professed his love to her.<\/p>\n

“There’s a real problem with the fact that he’s married and a pastor,” Key told the outlet. “There is a responsibility when you are leading people in the name of Christ to hold yourself to a higher standard.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n