Andy Ogles loses Republican primary in Tennessee despite Trump’s endorsement

Two-term Rep. Andy Ogles lost the Republican primary for his Tennessee House seat, the Associated Press projects, despite securing an endorsement from President Trump.

With just over 80% of votes counted in Thursday’s primary, Ogles trailed former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher by just over six points, according to results compiled by the AP.

It marks the second loss this week by a congressional candidate backed by Mr. Trump, whose endorsement typically carries significant sway in Republican primaries. In a Michigan GOP House primary two days earlier, Trump-endorsed candidate Amir Hassan lost to Thomas Smith, who had suspended his campaign weeks earlier.

In a victory speech Thursday night, Hatcher said Ogles had called him to concede and offered to help him transition into the job.

“I don’t know what D.C. is going to be like. It’s going to be a new environment for me,” Hatcher told Nikki Hauser, a reporter for Nashville WTX affiliate WTVF. “I appreciate anybody that can mentor me and help me in that process … He was nice enough to do that, and I accepted it.”

A member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, Ogles secured the president’s endorsement last November, and Mr. Trump again urged people to vote for the “Conservative Warrior” in an Election Day social media post. But Hatcher was endorsed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam.

Ogles has drawn controversy for incendiary rhetoric on social media, including posts stating that “homosexuality has no place in America” and that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.” He deleted the post about homosexuality, saying the “stupid” and “hurtful” post was written by a member of his staff who was later “reprimanded.”

Ogles’ phone was seized by the FBI in 2024 as part of a campaign finance-related investigation. The lawmaker pushed back on the move, and the Justice Department agreed to return his phone earlier this year. He was not charged with a crime.

Earlier this year, Ogles’ district was redrawn as part of a broader redistricting effort that broke up Tennessee’s sole Democratic-leaning seat. The district previously covered parts of Middle Tennessee near Nashville, but it now snakes more than 200 miles from the Nashville suburbs to Memphis.

Both Ogles and Hatcher have sought to align themselves with Mr. Trump while running in the deep-red district. But Hatcher has taken some jabs at Ogles’ rhetoric, calling him a “show horse” and arguing: “Think what President Trump could do if our congressman spent less time talking and more time doing.”

Ogles was also outspent in the race, raising $613,135 to Hatcher’s $719,503, according to Federal Election Commission filings. And a pro-clean energy super PAC called the Invest In Tomorrow Coalition spent around $2 million to support Hatcher and oppose Ogles last month. The group’s donors include tech billionaire Chris Larsen and several renewable energy companies.

Ogles criticized the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition in the final days of the race, accusing national left-leaning group of “interfering in a Republican primary” and trying to buy his seat because he “openly fought against green energy subsidies in Congress.” 

In a Thursday night statement, Invest In Tomorrow Coalition Chair Tom Matzzie vowed to “continue to punish members of either party who want to play politics with American jobs, energy security, and utility prices.”

“Tennessee’s 5th District just proved once again that standing in the way of America’s energy future comes with a hefty political price,” said Matzzie, who is also the CEO of electricity supplier CleanChoice Energy.

Hatcher will face Democratic nominee Chaz Molder in the November general election.