Jackson Lahmeyer, a Christian pastor and founder of Pastors for Trump, suspended his congressional campaign Wednesday after reports emerged of intimate text messages sent to someone outside his marriage.
Lahmeyer had advanced to a Republican primary runoff in Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District just one day earlier. His withdrawal effectively hands the nomination to his rival, Mark Tedford.
The Daily Mail reported over the weekend that Lahmeyer had exchanged intimate messages with a former campaign fundraiser who previously held the Miss Oklahoma USA title. On Sunday, Lahmeyer acknowledged sending the texts in a social media post but called the tabloid's reporting "distorted."
"I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging," Lahmeyer wrote. "I also ended all communication. The British tabloid tried to paint me out in a way which is not the case." He added that the matter had been handled privately with his wife, Kendra, "through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors."
In his campaign suspension announcement Wednesday, Lahmeyer said he made the decision "after prayerful consideration with my wife, Kendra, and my team over the last twenty four hours." He said he did not want to become a distraction to his family, church, or constituents.
The timing proved particularly damaging. Trump had endorsed Lahmeyer in early May, but the former president swiftly shifted his support to Tedford on Wednesday afternoon, just minutes before Lahmeyer's withdrawal. In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Lahmeyer's work and said "he has always been with me, and I will always be with him," but announced he would back Tedford as "America First Patriot" in the current race.
Lahmeyer's exit marks another high-profile departure from a congressional race over sexual misconduct allegations. Two months earlier, California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales both resigned from office following bipartisan backlash. Gonzales's case drew particular attention when his admission of an affair with an aide who later died by suicide became central to the controversy. Swalwell also withdrew from California's gubernatorial race.
The pattern extends beyond Congress. Graham Platner won Maine's Democratic Senate nomination just over a week before Lahmeyer's withdrawal despite facing an extramarital sexting scandal and other controversies.
Author James Rodriguez: "The speed with which Trump abandoned Lahmeyer shows endorsements are only as valuable as the moment they're given."
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