A day after advancing to a Republican runoff, megachurch pastor Jackson Lahmeyer suspended his congressional marketing campaign on Wednesday amid a flirtatious texting scandal with a former Miss Oklahoma.
Lahmeyer, who’s married with 5 kids, obtained President Trump’s backing, but in addition confronted a firestorm over his previous flirtatious messages with the sweetness queen, one among his former staffers.
“After prayerful consideration with my spouse, Kendra, and my staff over the past twenty 4 hours, I’ve made the tough choice to droop my marketing campaign for Congress,” Lahmeyer mentioned in an announcement.
“I don’t wish to be a distraction to my household, my church, and the nice individuals of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, who deserve a robust conservative voice representing them in Washington.”
Simply previous to suspending his marketing campaign, Trump took to Fact Social and switched his endorsement to Oklahoma state Rep. Mark Tedford.
Tedford had topped Lahmeyer within the first spherical, with 32% help, in comparison with the pastor’s 26%. The seat had been held by Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who’s vying for Homeland Safety Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s outdated Senate seat.
“I vastly respect Jackson Lahmeyer’s onerous work below tough circumstances,” Trump wrote on Fact Social. “[W]hen it involves the present Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I Can be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford. Mark is Professional-Trump and MAGA all the way in which!”
The president had initially backed Lahmeyer, citing his work co-founding the Pastors for Trump spiritual chief coalition in 2022.
However the Every day Mail revealed a chunk on Sunday detailing how Lahmeyer, a self-described “MAGA Warrior,” despatched racy textual content messages to former Miss Oklahoma USA Caitlin Simmons Key — one among his former marketing campaign fundraisers.
The report included messages inviting her to his lodge room and visiting a strip membership round 1 a.m. Key was once a fundraiser for his marketing campaign. In a single message, he wrote, “I loved these lips.”
“Jackson if u turn into congressman & if ever bought caught u could be headlines,” she wrote in one of many messages.
At one level, Key pressed Lahmeyer to rethink his marriage and requested him about contemplating a divorce, which he promptly dismissed.
“U r in love with me and we don’t even have intercourse,” she texted him.
His spouse discovered round Mom’s Day and reportedly slammed the ex-beauty queen, writing, “You’re a residence wrecking whore. Did you take pleasure in ruining our household.”
Lahmeyer’s spouse claimed he got here clear to her, after she questioned a Fb submit from Key, who shared Trump’s endorsement of the “MAGA Warrior,” noting she was able to “get to DC.”
Key reportedly continued to obtain funds from the marketing campaign regardless of being reduce off by Lahmeyer. The pastor claimed he instructed his spouse that he had gotten manner too near Key, but it surely wasn’t romantic.
“There’s an actual downside with the truth that he’s married and a pastor,” Key instructed the outlet.
“There’s a duty if you end up main individuals within the identify of Christ to carry your self to a better customary.”
