Politics

Trump-Backed Megachurch Pastor Ends Campaign After Texting Scandal With Former Pageant Queen

Pastor Lahmeyer (screenshot/YouTube/Sheridan.Church)

Megachurch Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer suspended his bid for the U.S. House Wednesday after his intimate texts with a campaign fundraiser surfaced.

Lahmeyer left the race the same day as President Trump switched his endorsement away from him to his competitor in the GOP primary election runoff, Oklahoma state Rep. Mark Telford, Politico reported. The Daily Mail published a series of improper texts Sunday between Lahmeyer and former Miss Oklahoma USA pageant queen and fundraiser for the Lahmeyer campaign, Caitlin Simmons Key.

“I do not want to be a distraction to my family, my church, and the great people of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District,” Lahmayer said Wednesday.

The texts published by the Daily Mail include him discussing declining an offer of cocaine after a Mar-A-Lago party and texting the pageant queen “I’m a fan of you” and characterizing her as “super thin and very cute.”

“I got way to close to [Key] and shared too much about myself… but we were not romantic,” Lahmeyer said, according to the Daily mail. However, he also characterized his actions as “crossing a boundary line” and said that he “became emotionally attached” to Key.

Lahmeyer is married with five children. Previously his campaign had collected the endorsements of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Turning Point Action, and College Republicans of America.

Lahmeyer runs a megachurch in Oklahoma called Sheridan.Church. He has previously attracted criticism from Jewish voices for his claims about the Antichrist, Israel National News reported.

“It’s my opinion that the future Antichrist will have some form of a Jewish descent,” Lahmeyer said in a sermon published to the Sheridan.church Youtube channel in October 2024.

Shortly after the scandal president Trump recalled his endorsement for Lahmeyer and endorsed Telford in the House race.

“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 said in a Truth Social statement Wednesday.

“When it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford. Mark is Pro Trump and MAGA all the way!” Trump said.

“HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump said of Tedford.

Trump previously used similar language to endorse Lameyer. “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.”