Less than twenty-four hours after securing a spot in Oklahoma’s First Congressional District runoff election, Jackson Lahmeyer has withdrawn from the race, clearing the path for Mark Tedford to advance to the general election and confirming his relationship with the fundraiser was more than casual.
The confirmation followed after reports of flirty text messages between Lahmeyer and former Miss Oklahoma USA, Caitlin Simmons Key, surfaced.
The announcement went on to follow President Donald Trump rescinding his endorsement of Lahmeyer and putting his support to Lahmeyer’s opponent, Mark Tedford. Lahmeyer went on to confirm that he was having an affair with former Miss Oklahoma USA in 2022, and after consideration, has decided to step away from politics and preaching.
“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,” said Lahmeyer when explaining why he was withdrawing from the race.
Lahmeyer is the lead pastor at Sheridan Church, “a non-denominational, spirit filled, multi-cultural and multi-generational church located in the heart of Tulsa and OKC.”
Since 2017, Lahmeyer has preached both in person and online at Sheridan. He has also held leadership roles in other major Christian organizations such as Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Christ for the Nations, and Victory College. His wife, Kendra, oversees the church’s childcare center.
Sheridan church was founded in 1951 and has birthed over thirty different churches and ministries around Tulsa including Rhema Bible Training Center, Victory Church, and Eastland Assembly of God.
With Lahmeyer’s withdrawal, there will no longer be a runoff election, and Mark Tedford will advance to represent the Republican party in the general election for the 1st Congressional District this November.
On Tuesday night, Lahmeyer advanced from the crowded 10 candidate Republican primary, winning 25.9% of Oklahoma’s votes and securing a spot in the 1st Congressional District August runoff election.
After being endorsed by President Donald Trump during his campaign, Lahmeyer was projected to advance to the runoffs, however, in the final days of his campaign, news of him texting with a woman that was not his wife was dropped by the British tabloid, “The Daily Mail.”
Lahmeyer confirmed that he had been texting with former Miss Oklahoma USA, Caitlin Simmons Key, during the spring of 2026.
“I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging,” said Lahmeyer in a Facebook post.
Lahmeyer continued to address the situation during his watch party in Tulsa on Tuesday night.
“I am not a perfect man, I will reiterate that,” said Lahmeyer to the crowd of supporters.
Following the primary elections, the controversy facing Lahmeyer greatly intensified.
On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump, who faced his own infidelity issues during his campaign, rescinded his endorsement of Lahmeyer and instead endorsed Mark Tedford, who was set to go against Lahmeyer in the August 25 1st Congressional District runoff election.
After thanking Lahmeyer for his support, Trump endorsed Mark Tedford, calling him an “American First Patriot” as well as saying he is “Pro-Trump and MAGA all the way.”
Upon the announcement Tedford thanked his supporters for coming to his watch party and for standing by him during his campaign.
“I also want to personally thank every volunteer, voter, supporter, and friend who has stood with us through this campaign. The general election begins now, I ask that you join us as we work hard to reach the great people of Congressional District 1,” said Tedford in a Facebook post.
This sudden turn in events has dramatically reshaped one of Oklahoma’s most closely watched Congressional races and has effectively handed the Republican nomination to Tedford.
The 1st Congressional District, which covers much of the Tulsa metropolitan area, has historically favored Republican candidates, marking Tedford as an early favorite for the upcoming general election.
Election officials are expected to provide guidance on the certification process following Lahmeyer’s withdrawal and determine any remaining steps that must be completed before finalizing the ballot.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
