On Wednesday, just a day after making it to the Republican runoff, megachurch pastor Jackson Rahmeyer halted his congressional campaign due to a scandal involving flirtatious text messages exchanged with a former Miss Oklahoma.
Rahmeyer, who is married and a father of five, had garnered support from President Trump but has faced scrutiny because of his past communications with a former beauty queen who was once part of his staff.
In a statement, Rahmeyer expressed, “After prayerful consideration over the past 24 hours, my wife, Kendra, and my team have made the difficult decision to cancel my Congressional campaign.”
He added, “I don’t want to stand in the way of my family, my church, and the wonderful people of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, who deserve a strong conservative voice in Washington.”
Before announcing the end of his campaign, Trump took to Truth Social to shift his support to Congressman Mark Tedford from Oklahoma.
In the first round of the race, Tedford had an approval rating of 32%, while Rahmeyer garnered 26%. This congressional seat was formerly held by Rep. Kevin Hahn (R-Okla.), who is now competing for a Senate position.
President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, acknowledged Rahmeyer’s efforts under challenging circumstances and stated, “When it comes to the current Congressional race in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I support Mark Tedford of America First Patriot. Mark is a lifelong Trump supporter and MAGA!”
Initially, Trump had backed Rahmeyer due to his role in co-founding the Trump for Trump Religious Leaders Coalition in 2022.
However, a recent article highlighted how Rahmeyer, describing himself as a “MAGA warrior,” had sent provocative text messages to Caitlin Simmons-Key, the former Miss Oklahoma USA and a past campaign fundraiser.
The messages reportedly included invitations for Key to visit his hotel room and an outing to a strip club late at night while she was fundraising for him. One message even noted, “Those lips were fun.”
At one point, Key warned Rahmeyer, “Jackson, if you become a congressman, you will be in the headlines if you get caught.”
In messages exchanged, Key pressed Rahmeyer about his marriage and suggested the idea of divorce, which he quickly dismissed.
She texted him, “You’re in love with me and we haven’t even had sex.”
Rahmeyer’s wife, who learned about the situation around Mother’s Day, criticized the former beauty queen, stating, “You are a prostitute who is destroying families. Did you enjoy ruining our family?”
She also questioned Key’s boasts about Trump supporting “MAGA warriors” ready to “go to D.C.” and claimed Rahmeyer had confessed details to her.
Despite being let go by Rahmeyer, reports indicated that Key continued to receive payments from his campaign. Rahmeyer later told his wife that he had gotten too close to Key but insisted it hadn’t crossed the line into a romantic relationship.
Key remarked, “The fact that he’s married and a pastor is really problematic.” She added, “Responsibility comes when you lead people in the name of Christ to hold themselves to a higher standard.”
