A Republican congressional candidate in Oklahoma is facing scrutiny after a former campaign fundraiser alleged that the married megachurch pastor exchanged inappropriate personal messages with her while seeking public office.
The allegations surfaced days before Oklahoma’s Republican primary election and involve Jackson Lahmeyer, a Tulsa pastor and congressional candidate who recently received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
According to Caitlin Simmons Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA contestant and political fundraiser who worked on Lahmeyer’s campaign, the two exchanged messages over several months that she said crossed professional boundaries.
Key, who joined Lahmeyer’s congressional campaign as a fundraiser earlier this year, said the communications evolved from political discussions into what she described as an emotionally inappropriate relationship between a married pastor and a campaign staff member.
The controversy intensified after Lahmeyer’s wife, Kendra Lahmeyer, allegedly discovered the messages in May and confronted Key. According to text exchanges published by the Daily Mail, Kendra Lahmeyer accused Key of interfering with her family and demanded that she cease all contact with her husband.
“You are a home wrecking whore. Did you enjoy ruining our family?” Lahmeyer’s wife told Key.
Key denied being romantically involved with the candidate and maintained that any feelings expressed by Lahmeyer were not reciprocated. She said she repeatedly encouraged him to focus on his marriage and family responsibilities.
Lahmeyer, who previously challenged Sen. James Lankford in a Republican primary and later founded a faith-based political organization aligned with Trump supporters, has built his public image around conservative Christian values and family-oriented messaging.
The reported messages include personal conversations, compliments, invitations to meet privately and discussions about campaign activities. In some exchanges, Lahmeyer allegedly expressed emotional attachment to Key and acknowledged becoming too close to her, per the Daily Mail.
According to the report, Lahmeyer later told Key that he had informed his wife he had become emotionally attached and shared too much personal information but insisted their relationship had not been romantic.
The allegations also raise questions about campaign finances. Key said she was paid $500 per week plus a percentage of funds she raised for the campaign and claimed payments continued after she was cut off from campaign communications. She questioned whether those payments were intended to maintain her silence, though she said she could not prove that assertion. Campaign representatives reportedly told her the payments continued because it was the appropriate course of action.
Key said she initially supported Lahmeyer politically and personally but ultimately decided to speak publicly because she believed voters deserved to know about conduct she viewed as inconsistent with his public image.
“I’m not standing on a platform as a Christian leader and family man,” she said, contrasting her own actions with those of the candidate.
The allegations emerged shortly after Trump endorsed Lahmeyer in the race, describing him as a strong supporter of the administration’s agenda. The endorsement elevated Lahmeyer’s profile in a crowded Republican primary contest.
As of publication, Lahmeyer has denied claims of a physical relationship and has characterized the messages as inappropriate flirting rather than evidence of an affair. The campaign has not announced any changes to its operations or responded to all of the specific allegations outlined in the report.
