Republican candidate Jackson Lahmeyer has suspended his campaign for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District after controversy surrounding alleged text messages with a pageant queen surfaced just days before the Republican primary runoff.
Jackson Lahmeyer’s texting scandal
Lahmeyer, a Tulsa-area pastor and former U.S. Senate candidate, announced that he was ending his bid following what he described as “prayerful consideration” with his wife, Kendra, and members of his campaign team.
“I do not want to be a distraction to my family, my church and the great people of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District,” he wrote in part while announcing the suspension of his campaign.
The decision came amid fallout from a texting scandal first publicly revealed by the Daily Mail, which alleged inappropriate exchanges between Lahmeyer and a former Miss Oklahoma USA. The report quickly gained national attention and threatened to overshadow the final days of the closely watched race.
Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement
President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of Lahmeyer, despite previously backing him in May and describing him as a “MAGA warrior.”
In a statement, Trump said he appreciated Lahmeyer’s “hard work under difficult circumstances,” adding that “he has always been with me and I will always be with him.”
Speaking to Newsweek, Lahmeyer denied that Trump’s decision influenced his exit from the race. “I made my decision to drop out of the race last night. I decided to choose my wife over my ambition,” he said. “I informed my wife about my decision late last night and then my campaign team early this morning. My decision did not take place because of the decision of POTUS this afternoon.”
Trump has since endorsed Oklahoma State Rep. Mark Tedford, leaving the race to move forward without one of its highest-profile candidates.
‘MAGA warrior’ attempts to defend himself
Lahmeyer also pushed back against the allegations he was unfaithful, accusing the Daily Mail of misrepresenting the situation.
“I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging. I also ended all communication,” Lahmeyer said in a Facebook post.
“The British tabloid tried to paint me out in a way which is not the case. At the same time, 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 added.
Former Miss Oklahoma USA Caitlin Simmons Key told the Daily Mail that she and Lahmeyer kissed several times and that he sent her thousands of text messages, including some that were flirtatious in nature. “The conversations crossed the line of probably what most people would consider appropriate for a married man and a single woman,” she alleged, adding that Lahmeyer’s wife discovered their messages and accused her of “ruining our family.”
Key added of the cheating scandal, “I’ve paid a price for that decision. My reputation, my privacy, my relationships and the people I love have all been impacted by it. Even so, I stand by it. The facts are public.”
