Tuesday's Oklahoma primary mostly flew under the radar, as many eyes were focused on Georgia and Alabama. But the Sooner state had its own drama brewing. House District 1 is currently being represented by Rep. Kevin Hern (R). However, Hern is running for the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, and 11 candidates ran to replace him.
President Donald Trump endorsed the Rev. Jackson Lahmeyer, a pastor and founder of Pastors for Trump, who was the second-highest vote getter in the Tuesday primary. Lahmeyer was slated to advance to the August 25 runoff, alongside the first place vote-getter Mark Tedford.
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Will we see another Trump endorsement coup? Not exactly. Lahmeyer has decided to drop out of the race because he is embroiled in a sexting scandal.
Yes, you read that right. The not-so-good Reverend has allegedly been having a sexting relationship with Caitlin Simmons Key, a former campaign staffer and former Miss Oklahoma USA. The timing of the Ms. Key revelation is interesting. According to The Christian Post, Lahmeyer ended this textual relationship with Key in May. So, The Daily Mail dropped their exclusive detailing the text affair on Monday, just in time for the Tuesday primary.
Married Sheridan Church pastor and Republican candidate for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, the Rev. Jackson Lahmeyer, admitted Monday to inappropriate texting with another woman who is not his wife and has already addressed the failure “through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors.”
Lahmeyer is a father to five children, has run Pastors for Trump since 2022, is the lead pastor at his church, and is running for national office. So, one wonders how he even had the time to carry on this nonsense. We have no idea how many of these sex pests currently sit in Congress, but it gives us a window into why nothing gets done.
In the text messages between Lahmeyer and Key, the Daily Mail shows him inviting the divorced 40-year-old single mother to his hotel room. He also discloses a time when he left Mar-a-Lago to visit a strip club at 1 a.m. and declined an offer of cocaine.
[...]
Key told the Daily Mail that she was uncomfortable with the hypocrisy of Lahmeyer’s private pursuit of her while he preaches family values and seeks high office.
“There's a real problem with the fact that he's married and a pastor,” she told the publication. “There is a responsibility when you are leading people in the name of Christ to hold yourself to a higher standard.”
She said the texting between her and Lahmeyer “crossed the line of probably what most people would consider appropriate for a married man and a single woman.”
According to the exclusive Daily Mail reporting, Lahmeyer’s wife discovered the texts and accused Key of being intimate with her husband. An accusation which they both denied.
Before deleting his X account, Lahmeyer took to the social media platform to announce he would be ending his campaign. The post said:
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.
— Jackson Lahmeyer (@JacksonLahmeyer) June 17, 2026
I do not want to be a distraction to my family, my church, and the great people of Oklahoma's 1st Congressional…
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.
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.
I sincerely appreciate all the support along the way. I will never forget those who stood by me and fought alongside us when I needed them the most.
With the current low bar in terms of candidates and what qualifies or disqualifies them, Lahmeyer probably could have just stayed in the race and might have had a fighting chance at winning. In comparison to Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner, Lahmeyer was only texting one woman, we can confirm this woman is of the age of consent, and thus far we have no evidence that Lahmeyer posted on Kik. But this five-minute scandal is a clear reflection of the differences between Republicans and Democrats. Lahmeyer immediately exited the stage, choosing not to subject his wife, himself, and the Republican Party to further scandal and embarrassment. The months-long, and much more egregious scandals and evidence, surrounding Graham Platner?
We all know the song.
So, Trump and the Oklahoma Republican Party have said, "Onward!" On Wednesday, Trump endorsed Mark Tedford, the first-place finisher in the runoff.
He [Lahmeyer] placed second behind Mark Tedford, whom Trump endorsed after Lahmeyer dropped out.
"I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him," he posted on Truth Social. "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! A Proven Leader, Mark has served his Community as a Highly Respected State Legislator and Businessman, prior to running for Congress. Mark Tedford has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"
While Lahmeyer announced suspending his campaign on social media, according to the Oklahoma Election Board, in order for Lahmeyer to be removed from the August 25 runoff ballot, he must send a letter to the Secretary of the Oklahoma Election Board by 5:00 PM Friday, June 19, announcing his intention to end the campaign. If Lahmeyer does this, it makes it official, and Mark Tedford will ascend unopposed to the general election in November.
Compared to the House 1st District road bump, the rest of the races appeared to go according to plan. Kevin Hern won his Senate race handily on Tuesday night, with 63 percent of the vote and will move on to the general. Oklahoma is much like Texas. The Republican Party apparatus has dominated state and national races for at least a decade. But all it takes is a mess like this, complacency on candidate selection, and a motivated Democrat Party to change that calculus.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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