Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles loses Tennessee primary after redistricting

Published Aug 7, 01:10 PM UTC

Republican Representative Andy Ogles, a MAGA ally endorsed by President Donald Trump, lost his primary election in Tennessee's 5th congressional district to former state Agricultural Commissioner Charlie Hatcher. A key factor was Tennessee's newly redrawn congressional districts, pushed through after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. The state's only majority-Black district (9th) was broken up and absorbed into surrounding Republican districts, including Ogles's. In the primary, 82% of voters in the 5th district were newly added. Hatcher, endorsed by Governor Bill Lee, former Governor Bill Haslam, and former Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, out-fundraised and outspent Ogles. Ogles faced multiple scandals: anti-Muslim remarks, ethics concerns over campaign funds, lies about his education, and a GoFundMe for a child's burial garden that was never built. The FBI had executed a search warrant on Ogles for financial misdeeds, but Trump's DOJ signaled it was wrapping up the probe in May. The new constituents rejected Ogles despite Trump's backing.