Ogles lost to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed by the state’s governor
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NEED TO KNOW
- Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents Tennessee’s 5th congressional district, lost his primary on Aug. 6 despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump
- Ogles was first elected in 2022, but his district was reshaped when Republicans redrew the state’s districts in May
- In January 2025, Ogles introduced a resolution to amend the Constitution so that Trump could run for a third term in office
Far-right Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles lost the Republican primary to keep his seat in Congress, despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Ogles, 55, lost the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 5th congressional district to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed by Gov. Bill Lee. Hatcher will go on to face Columbia mayor Chaz Molder, who won the Democratic primary, the Associated Press reported.
Ogles, a House Freedom Caucus member, was first elected to Congress in 2022 to succeed longtime Rep. Jim Cooper, a Democrat who declined to run again after Republicans redrew the state’s House districts to split the Nashville area across three districts.
In May, Republicans again redrew the map in response to the Supreme Court’s weakening of the federal Voting Rights Act. The new map reshaped Ogles’ district, which will now stretch from south of Nashville to parts of Memphis.
During his tenure in Congress, Ogles frequently made national headlines for controversial comments. Days after Trump began his second term in office, Ogles introduced a House Joint Resolution to amend the U.S. Constitution to allow Trump to run for a third term, despite the 22nd Amendment.
In 2024, the FBI seized Ogles’ cellphone during an investigation into his campaign finance reporting. The Justice Department returned the phone in May, hinting that the investigation would be dropped, the Associated Press reported.
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Credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Although Trump endorsed Ogles, Hatcher’s campaign website praised Trump as the “most impactful president of our lifetime.”
In addition to the endorsement from Lee, Hatcher also won support from prominent Republicans in the state, including former Gov. Bill Haslam and former U.S. Rep Zach Wamp, the Nashville Scene reported.
Also on Thursday night, senior Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn won the Republican primary in the gubernatorial race to replace the term-limited Lee.
She will face off against Memphis City Council member Jeri Green, who won the Democratic primary, in November. The winner of that race will become Tennessee’s first female governor.
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