Trump-Backed Pastor, 34, Confesses to Cheating on Wife With Miss Oklahoma, 40 — Days After His Congressional Campaign Collapsed
President Trump quickly withdrew his endorsment for Jackson Lahmeyer after he left the race.
June 18 2026, Published 5:10 p.m. ET
A married Tulsa church minister who founded the group "Pastors for Trump" has dropped out of the race for a seat in Congress after admitting to having an affair with a former Miss Oklahoma, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Jackson Lahmeyer had received Donald Trump's endorsement, but the president quickly switched his support to his opponent after Lahmeyer withdrew from the race.
The Truth Comes Out
The pastor was running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lahmeyer, the 34-year-old pastor of Sheridan Church in Tulsa, confessed that he cheated on his wife with 40-year-old Caitlin Key, Miss Oklahoma USA 2007, prior to running for Congress.
According to an investigation from the Daily Mail, the two exchanged a bevy of hot and heavy text messages during the campaign, including one in which he told her: "I enjoyed those lips."
At first, Lahmeyer denied any sort of physical relationship, only confessing to the flirtatious texts. However, after Key warned the pastor to stop lying, hinting there was more to the story, Lahmeyer came clean.
"We kissed and in 2022 I had an affair on my wife and I've owned that," he told the outlet. "But Caitlin Key and I did not have s-- during this election. There's plenty of text messages to prove that."
Lasting Political and Professional Ramifications
Lahmeyer originally tried to deny any kind of physical relationship with Caitlin Key.
On Wednesday, just one day after advancing to an August runoff for the House seat, Lahmeyer issued a statement saying that he had made the "difficult decision" to suspend his campaign "after prayerful consideration with my wife, Kendra, and my team over the last twenty four hours."
The confirmation of the affair had yet to come out at that time, but the writing was on the wall.
"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," Lahmeyer added.
He doubled down on his mea culpa, apologizing to Donald Trump, his wife, his constituents and his congregation as he told the Daily Mail that he was "done with politics" while also taking "a sabbatical from preaching."
A Night of Drinking Led to Years of Regret
Lahmeyer then confessed to the affair with Key.
Lahmeyer reportedly met Key in 2021, as the two ran in the same Republican social circles. The beauty queen would eventually go on to help him raise money for his campaigns. But when the two met for drinks in 2022 amid Key's brutal divorce, the couple reportedly ended up back at his place.
In her admission, Key was emphatic that it was just that once, and the two did not see each other again for a year. But when she joined his congressional campaign as a fundraiser this year, their relationship turned physical again, though she insists, "I literally never touched him again besides kissing."
Lahmeyer's wife reportedly found out about the affair around Mother’s Day and slammed the ex-beauty queen in a passionate text of her own, blasting: "You are a home-wrecking w---e. Did you enjoy ruining our family?"
Taking a Step Back
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Lahmeyer dropped out of the race and stepped back from his church to work on saving his marriage.
Lahmeyer is now trying to make things right, and says he really doesn't care about the election anymore. He described the end of his campaign as "a blessing in disguise," telling the Daily Mail, "I was heading down a very, very bad path and this may have spared my life and my family."
He also apologized directly to the voters and donors who had backed his campaign and put their faith in him.
"I'm just beyond grateful for them, but then at the same time, so sorry for letting them down, and I own it completely," he said. "I'm not trying to cast blame on anybody. I own it. I apologize."
