Trump-Endorsed Congressional Candidate Drops Out Over Text Message Scandal

Jackson Lahmeyer, a Trump-endorsed Congressional candidate, has suspended his campaign after it was revealed he had been sending romantic text messages to a woman who wasn’t his wife. 

A Republican pastor engaged in infidelity?? I’m shocked, I tell you. Stunned. 

The Washington Post reports that on Tuesday, Lahmeyer, a megachurch minister who founded Pastors for Trump, advanced to a runoff election to determine who would be the Republican nominee to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. British tabloid The Daily Mail revealed the text messages only days before Oklahoma’s primary election. Lahmeyer had sent thousands of romantic text messages to a woman who previously worked as a fundraiser for his campaign.

According to AP, Lahmeyer addressed the text messages in a series of now-deleted social media posts, writing that the matter “was already dealt with privately” and admitted to “crossing a boundary line through text messaging.” Apparently, those posts weren’t enough, as Lahmeyer released a statement on Wednesday announcing he would be withdrawing from the race. 

“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.

“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 added.

Trump endorsed Lahmeyer last month, thanking him for creating Pastors for Trump. In the Truth Social post endorsing Lahmeyer, Trump called him “a very successful Pastor, Businessman, and Civic Leader” who had his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

“HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump added. Well, turns out that was a lie. 

Trump wasted no time endorsing Oklahoma state Rep. Mark Tedford, who was set to be Lahmeyer’s opponent in the runoff. “I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post, adding that Tedford is “Pro Trump and MAGA all the way!” 

This situation reveals a fascinating reversal in how Democrats and Republicans are handling scandals involving congressional candidates. Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Maine’s Senate seat, came under controversy in recent months after it was revealed he had been sending explicit texts to women who weren’t his wife. Additionally, several of his former partners came out and spoke about his questionable behavior during those relationships. 

Platner didn’t drop out of the race, won the Democratic nomination, and has had Democratic officials publicly campaign for him, which suggests Democrats are taking a win-at-all-costs approach. Only a few years ago, the roles would’ve been reversed, as Republicans have historically not cared whether or not a candidate is scandal-prone as long as they say “God, family, country” and show a disdain for anyone not a straight, white male. 

Honestly, as far as scandals involving Republicans go, Lahmeyer’s is significantly less troubling than, like, Tony Gonzales, to the point that it’s actually kind of strange he’s dropping out. The sitting President of the United States paid hush money to a porn star while he was married, and still got elected. Twice. Some text messages just kind of pale in comparison to that, you know? 

But hey, maybe Lahmeyer has something that seems to elude Trump: a sense of shame. 

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