Jackson Lahmeyer, a Republican pastor and founder of a "Pastors for Trump" group, withdrew from Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District race on Tuesday night, hours after President Donald Trump yanked his endorsement and threw his support behind state Rep. Mark Tedford instead.
Lahmeyer had just advanced to a runoff election when the reversal came down. In a statement, he said he made "the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Congress" after consulting with his wife, Kendra, and his team. He cited not wanting to become "a distraction to my family, my church, and the great people of Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District."
Trump's endorsement switch happened minutes before Lahmeyer's exit announcement. On Truth Social, the president thanked Lahmeyer for his work "under difficult circumstances" but then pivoted sharply: "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!"
The sudden reversal followed last-minute allegations that upended the campaign. The Daily Mail reported that Caitlin Simmons Key, identified as a former Miss Oklahoma USA who worked on Lahmeyer's campaign, claimed she and the candidate exchanged inappropriate text messages. One message allegedly contained Lahmeyer telling her "I enjoyed those lips."
Lahmeyer addressed the allegations in a social media post over the weekend, acknowledging he had "crossed a boundary line through text messaging" but framed the incident as resolved. "This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife," he wrote, adding that he ended communication with the woman involved. He suggested the reporting was designed to distort his record and blamed "the political establishment who oppose my America First Candidacy" for attempting to amplify the story.
Trump had initially backed Lahmeyer in a Sunday endorsement post, calling him a "MAGA warrior." That support evaporated within days as the messaging allegations became public.
Lahmeyer's withdrawal clears the path for Tedford, who had already secured backing from Oklahoma State House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and other establishment figures. The heavily Republican district should deliver a GOP nominee with minimal further contest, making the general election outcome largely predetermined.
The race was triggered after GOP Rep. Kevin Hern, the district's incumbent, won the Republican primary for Senate on Tuesday.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Trump's endorsement whiplash in a matter of days shows how quickly political backing can evaporate when personal baggage surfaces, leaving candidates who banked on his support scrambling for the exit."
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