The 2026 election flew off the rails.
Republicans are wondering what hit them.
And now a shocking sex scandal involving a beauty queen forced Trump to make one brutal decision
From the Pulpit to the Primary
Lahmeyer, the lead pastor of Sheridan Church in Tulsa and founder of Pastors for Trump, had spent years building a nationwide coalition of faith leaders around the America First movement. He brought together what he claimed was a network of over 10,000 pastors across all 50 states during Trump’s 2024 campaign, hosted Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump at his church, and served on the National Faith Advisory Board. When he announced his run for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District in March 2026, it felt like a natural next step for a man who had made himself indispensable to the MAGA faith community.
Trump rewarded that loyalty with an endorsement in May, calling Lahmeyer a “MAGA Warrior.” The race for the open seat left by Republican Representative Kevin Hern — who won the state’s GOP Senate primary — had drawn ten candidates, and the Trump stamp gave Lahmeyer a significant edge heading into the June primary.
He finished second with 25.9 percent of the vote. State Representative Mark Tedford led the field with 32.2 percent. Neither cleared the majority threshold, setting up an August 25 runoff.
The Daily Mail Story and What Followed
Two days before the primary, the Daily Mail published a story detailing alleged text messages between Lahmeyer and Caitlin Simmons Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA who had also worked on his 2022 Senate campaign against James Lankford and later joined his congressional effort. The publication alleged the exchanges grew increasingly intimate over time, with Simmons Key reportedly texting Lahmeyer, “I enjoyed those lips,” and Lahmeyer allegedly extending a late-night invitation to his hotel room, which she reportedly declined.
The Daily Mail also reported that Lahmeyer described leaving a Trump-related event at Mar-a-Lago to visit a strip club, where cocaine was allegedly offered to members of his party — though the paper reported he declined.
Lahmeyer pushed back in a statement posted before the primary. “Today, a distorted story from a British Tabloid was released just two days before my election,” he wrote. “This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors.” He acknowledged that he had crossed “a boundary line through text messaging” and said he had “ended all communication.” But he also questioned whether the story had been paid for, writing, “we must ask the question if this story was paid for and why our communications were carefully cherry-picked to create an impression that is not accurate.”
He also wrote, “I have little doubt that those in the political establishment who oppose my America First Candidacy will attempt to make more of this than it is.”
And then, the day after the primary, Trump moved on.
The Endorsement Switch
Trump had actually reaffirmed his support for Lahmeyer on the day the Daily Mail story broke. But less than 48 hours later, he posted to Truth Social pulling that endorsement and throwing his full weight behind Tedford. “I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” Trump wrote. “But, when it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford.”
Trump described Tedford as “Pro Trump and MAGA all the way” and called him “a Proven Leader” who had “served his Community as a Highly Respected State Legislator and Businessman.” He gave Tedford his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Lahmeyer announced his suspension minutes after Trump’s post went live. “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,” he wrote. “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.”
What It Means Going Forward
With Lahmeyer out, Tedford’s path to the GOP nomination in Oklahoma’s solidly Republican 1st District is now essentially clear. Under state law, if Lahmeyer files a formal written withdrawal with the state election board by the Friday deadline, Tedford automatically advances to the November general election without a runoff.
Tedford had already secured the endorsement of Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and others before Trump’s switch. The combination of institutional support and a now-active presidential endorsement makes him the heavy favorite to win the seat.
But the story of how Lahmeyer got here is worth sitting with for a moment. He built his political identity almost entirely around faith and family values. He ran as a husband, a father of five, a pastor who stood up to COVID lockdowns when city officials allegedly threatened to shut down his church services. “That is what got me involved,” he told Religion Unplugged, “because I never would have thought for a moment that the mayor of Tulsa would threaten to arrest me for just having church.” That origin story resonated with a lot of conservative voters who were furious about government overreach during the pandemic.
And that’s what makes the timing of all this particularly rough. The same moral credibility that made Lahmeyer a compelling candidate became the thing the story was measured against.
Lahmeyer’s 2022 Senate run against Lankford gave him name recognition and a donor network. The Pastors for Trump operation gave him a national profile. Trump’s endorsement gave him the inside track in a crowded field. All of it evaporated in roughly 72 hours.
Trump moved quickly and cleanly. He thanked Lahmeyer, acknowledged the difficulty of the circumstances, and shifted his support without lingering. That’s consistent with how the president has handled similar situations — loyalty runs in both directions, but it doesn’t override the practical realities of a race.
Tedford now carries the Trump brand into what should be a comfortable general election in a district the Cook Political Report rates as solidly Republican. Democrat John Croisant ran unopposed in his party’s primary and will face whoever emerges from the Republican side in November.
For Lahmeyer, the path forward is less clear. He still leads Sheridan Church. He still has the Pastors for Trump network. But a congressional run that looked like a logical extension of his national profile ended before the runoff even began — and the way it ended will follow him for a while.
Sources: Mediaite; Fox News; The Daily Mail; Roys Report; NonDoc; KTUL; Newsweek; Religion Unplugged; NOTUS