U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) lost his primary bid for re-election in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District to Charlie Hatcher, the state’s former agriculture commissioner. The narrow upset loss comes despite the fact that Ogles was backed by President Donald Trump and other prominent Republican figures.
With most ballots counted, Hatcher received approximately 53.2 percent of the vote to Ogles’ 46.8 percent, a margin of roughly six percentage points. The Associated Press and other notable election forecasters called the race for Hatcher roughly three hours after polls closed.
Ogles is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative bloc within the Republican conference. Multiple scorecards have ranked him among the more conservative members of the House. Heritage Action assigned him a 100 percent score for the relevant Congress and a perfect lifetime score since his election.
Freedom Index evaluations have placed him in the mid-to-high 90s in prior sessions, and he has appeared near the top of composite “America First” voting rankings that average several conservative scorecards.
The primary took place in a significantly redrawn district following redistricting efforts earlier this year. Back in May, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the application of the Voting Rights Act in the creation of majority-minority districts, the Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature enacted a new congressional map that significantly impacted the Nashville area.
🚨 NOW: Rep. Andy Ogles JUST LOST his embattled GOP primary in Tennessee’s 5th District, to well-financed challenger Charlie Hatcher — DDHQ
Ogles WILL be missed. He repeatedly called out the Islamic invasion, knows America is a Christian nation and filed to impeach rogue judges!… pic.twitter.com/c9rPLUEnfy
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 7, 2026
The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a super PAC aligned with clean-energy interests, spent roughly $2 million on advertising opposing Ogles, as Hatcher out-raised the incumbent in the final stages of the campaign. Ogles, however, touted endorsements from President Donald Trump and notable state officials like former Governor Bill Lee.
Hatcher, the Republican nominee and Ogles’ successor on the November ballot, is a veterinarian and multi-generational farmer. A fifth-generation Tennessee farmer and tenth-generation American farmer, he operates the Hatcher Family Dairy on land near College Grove that has been in the family since the early 19th century.
Appointed by Governor Lee, he led the Tennessee Department of Agriculture as commissioner from 2019 until his retirement in 2025. During that tenure he oversaw initiatives related to rural development, farmland preservation, and animal health. His campaign emphasized a practical, work-oriented approach, drawing comparisons between farming and legislative problem-solving, while aligning with President Trump’s agenda.
Hatcher will be facing off against Democrat Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, in the upcoming midterm election cycle. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District currently grades as R+10.
