Rep. Andy Ogles loses Republican primary in Tennessee

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on Aug 7, 2026

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Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles lost his primary Thursday, becoming the third House Republican to lose a renomination bid this year.

Ogles was trailing former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, 53% to 47%, when The Associated Press called the race for the 5th District at 10:10 p.m. Thursday.

The result represents a rare defeat for President Donald Trump, who had reiterated his support for Ogles earlier Thursday, saying on social media that the second-term congressman was doing a “fantastic job.” It’s the second loss this week for a Trump-endorsed Republican, after Navy veteran Amir Hassan came up short in a House primary in Michigan.

Other House Republicans who’ve lost primary challenges this year include Reps. Daniel Crenshaw of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, while six Democratic incumbents have so far been defeated in their House primaries.

Ogles has been dogged by controversy since he was first elected to Congress in 2022. He’s been accused of embellishing his résumé and is under a House Ethics investigation into his campaign finances. And he drew criticism this year for saying that Muslims “don’t belong in American society” and that “homosexuality has no place in America.”

Ogles was also running in a district that was considerably altered under Tennessee’s new congressional map. Once based in Middle Tennessee, the 5th District now snakes along the Kentucky border, connecting Memphis to the Nashville area. State Republicans redrew the map to help them win all nine of the state’s House seats, but Ogles ended up with a district with mostly new constituents.

Hatcher, who emphasized his background as a dairy farmer and veterinarian, won a late endorsement this week from Gov. Bill Lee, adding to support from former Gov. Bill Haslam. And while Hatcher didn’t have Trump’s backing in the primary, he has praised the president and vowed to support his agenda in Congress. Hatcher also outraised Ogles, bringing in $720,000 to his $613,000 through July 17.

Hatcher benefited from $2 million in outside support from the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC, a group backed by clean energy investors that ran ads portraying Ogles as a showhorse and casting Hatcher as a worker.

The Freedom Caucus Fund, meanwhile, spent $780,000 to boost Ogles on the air.

Hatcher will next face Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, who won a five-way primary for the Democratic nomination Thursday. Molder is the fundraising leader in the race, hauling in $2.6 million through July 17, with $1.5 million in the bank.

Democrats still see Molder as a strong candidate, despite the redrawn district lines. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the seat to its target list last year and included him in its Red to Blue program. But the new version of the 5th District even redder under the new map, transforming from a seat Trump won by 18 points in 2024 to one he would have carried by 23 points.

Other races

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn prevailed in a three-way Republican primary Thursday in the race to succeed the term-limited Lee.

With 90% of the vote in, Blackburn had 43% of the vote to 33% for Rep. John W. Rose and 23% for state Rep. Monty Fritts, the AP reported.

The Volunteer State is now guaranteed to elect its first female governor, with Blackburn strongly favored to defeat Memphis City Councilwoman Jeri Green, who won the Democratic nomination Thursday.

Blackburn’s Senate colleague, Republican Bill Hagerty, was unopposed in his primary Thursday and advanced to a rematch from six years ago against Democratic environmentalist Marquita Bradshaw.

Meanwhile, two Republicans are likely heading to the House next year after winning primaries for deep-red open seats.

In the race to succeed Rose in the 6th District, state Rep. Johnny Garrett won the GOP nomination, defeating former Rep. Van Hilleary and two other candidates. Hilleary, who was previously Rose’s chief of staff, was seeking a comeback to the House after serving four terms from 1995 to 2003.

And in the 9th District, state Sen. Brent Taylor, who was endorsed by Trump, won a four-way GOP primary for the redrawn seat.

The 9th has long been a Democratic bastion anchored in Memphis, but under the new map, it now stretches from Memphis to the Nashville area along the state’s border with Mississippi and Alabama and would have backed Trump by 21 points in 2024, according to Inside Elections.

Longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen opted to retire after the lines were redrawn and endorsed state Sen. London Lamar to succeed him. But Lamar lost a four-way Democratic primary Thursday to state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence in 2023 as one of the “Tennessee Three” lawmakers expelled from the state House over a gun control protest.

Despite the district’s new Republican lean, the DCCC added the seat to its target list earlier this week.