Trump-endorsed Congressman Andy Ogles Defeated in Tennessee Republican Primary After Redistricting
Former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher won the GOP primary for Tennessee's reshaped 5th District, unseating Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles, while new district maps also set up contests in the altered Memphis-based 9th District.
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles in the Republican primary for the state's newly drawn 5th Congressional District on Thursday. The victory marks a rare loss for a candidate who had received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, who had previously called Ogles a "Conservative Warrior."
The 5th District was significantly reconfigured after Republican lawmakers redrew the map in May, following a Supreme Court decision that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections. According to an Associated Press estimate, about 82% of the district's voters are new to the area. Hatcher, who served under Governor Bill Lee, campaigned on his farming background and said, "The message resonated, and the message was: Work like a farmer, get things done and serve others."
Ogles, a member of the Freedom Caucus, had faced scrutiny over campaign-finance reporting and a mischaracterized college degree, and his campaign declined to comment on the result.
The redistricting also altered the Memphis-based 9th District, which was previously a majority-Black district represented by Democrat Steve Cohen. The new 9th stretches roughly 200 miles east from Memphis and now leans Republican, with about 71% of its voters being new to the district. Cohen announced he will not seek re-election. In the Democratic primary, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder emerged as the nominee, while Republican candidates are set to face off in a runoff.
Voters expressed concern that the new maps dilute Black voting power. Retired postal worker Lonzo Taylor, a Black veteran, said the changes "diluted" their voices, and educator Terrice Thomas warned that constituents could be overlooked under the new configuration.
Other statewide races saw Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn win the GOP primary for governor, and Rep. John Rose step aside to run for governor, prompting a contested GOP primary in the 6th District that was won by State Rep. Johnny Garrett.