Jackson Lahmeyer, a Republican candidate who was previously backed by President Donald Trump in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, has withdrawn from the state’s primary race after the emergence of flirtatious text messages exchanged with a woman who was not his wife.
Lahmeyer, 34, serves as lead pastor of Sheridan Church in Tulsa. He previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, when he received about 26 percent of the vote against incumbent Senator James Lankford.
He gained national attention through his support for former President Donald Trump and efforts to mobilize evangelical voters. Lahmeyer announced his congressional candidacy in March 2026 for the open seat in Oklahoma’s 1st District, which became vacant after Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican, launched a successful bid for U.S. Senate.
President Trump endorsed Lahmeyer earlier in the campaign, describing him as a “MAGA warrior” and highlighting his alignment with the America First agenda.
Shortly before the primary, a report from the Daily Mail revealed a number of flirtatious text messages between Lahmeyer and Caitlin Simmons Key, a former campaign fundraiser and Miss Oklahoma USA 2007. According to the reports, the messages included compliments on her appearance and references to personal interactions.
Key stated that Lahmeyer’s wife discovered the messages around Mother’s Day and contacted her directly.
Jackson Lahmeyer revealed that their relationship was physical after he claimed it was confined only to flirty text messages. 🔗 https://t.co/IPTDKzzS0e pic.twitter.com/Boo96KNYpX
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) June 17, 2026
Lahmeyer initially indicated that he would stay in the race while giving an initial response on June 14. “This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors. I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging. I also ended all communication. The British Tabloid tried to paint me out in a way which is not the case,” he said at the time.
He added that the communications were “carefully cherry-picked” and questioned the timing of the story’s release shortly before the primary. Lahmeyer expressed gratitude for his wife’s support and reaffirmed his commitment to his family, church, and the district.
Despite the controversy, Lahmeyer and state Rep. Mark Tedford (R-Tulsa) advanced from a crowded Republican primary field to the August 25 runoff. Tedford received approximately 32 percent of the vote, while Lahmeyer received about 26 percent. On Wednesday, following the disappointing result and mounting pressure, Lahmeyer confirmed that he would be dropping out of the race.
“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 said in a statement. “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 continued.
Jackson Lahmeyer will be withdrawing from the race for the OK-01 Republican nomination, after advancing to the runoff.
This makes Mark Tedford the automatic GOP nominee for OK-01. pic.twitter.com/MKrQrwBwvV
— America First Insight (@AF_Insight) June 17, 2026
Following Lahmeyer’s withdrawal, President Trump shifted his support to Tedford, who is likely to become the district’s next representative.
Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, which covers much of the Tulsa metropolitan area, has a Cook Partisan Voter Index (PVI) of R+11, indicating a solidly Republican lean based on recent presidential election results. The district has consistently elected Republican representatives.
