Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles lost his bid for renomination Thursday, becoming the third House Republican to lose a primary this year.
Ogles was trailing former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, 53 percent to 47 percent, 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.
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.
