News
Election
Posted: Jun 17, 2026 2:05 PMUpdated: Jun 17, 2026 2:05 PM
Lahmeyer Drops Out of GOP Race Amid Scandal, Loss of Trump Endorsement
Nathan Thompson
Republican congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, ending his bid just a day after advancing to a GOP runoff.
The move comes after controversy surrounding reports of inappropriate text messages came to light and President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of Lahmeyer.
“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,” Lahmeyer said in a statement.
Lahmeyer said he did not want to become “a distraction” to his family, church and voters in the district.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Lahmeyer and former state lawmaker Mark Tedford received the most votes in the June 16 Republican primary, setting up a runoff election scheduled for Aug. 25. With Lahmeyer’s withdrawal, Tedford becomes the Republican nominee and will advance directly to the November general election.
Tedford is set to face Democratic nominee John Croisant.
A pastor, businessman and founder of Pastors for Trump, Lahmeyer gained national attention during his unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate campaign. Earlier this year, he received an endorsement from President Donald Trump in the congressional race.
However, Trump withdrew his endorsement Wednesday and instead endorsed Tedford.
Lahmeyer’s decision comes days after reports surfaced detailing text message exchanges between him and a woman who is not his wife. The messages were first published by British tabloid The Daily Mail and were also independently provided to News On 6 on June 12.
According to the reports, the messages included conversations in which Lahmeyer complimented the woman’s appearance, sent selfies and expressed interest in meeting her in person.
Following publication of the story, Lahmeyer addressed the allegations in posts on social media, saying the matter had already been handled privately.
“A distorted story from a British tabloid was released just two days before my election,” Lahmeyer wrote on X and Facebook. “This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors. I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging.”
On June 16, Lahmeyer told supporters he was not “a perfect man” and acknowledged he had issues to address in the coming days, while expressing optimism about potentially serving as the district’s next representative in Congress.
His withdrawal concludes a campaign that had weathered both political and personal challenges in recent weeks and reshapes the Republican race for one of Oklahoma’s most reliably conservative congressional districts.
Photo credit Jackson Lahmeyer for Congress, Inc.
« Back to News