Backed by Trump, Rep. Andy Ogles loses Tennessee GOP House primary
Rep. Andy Ogles lost his bid for reelection in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on Thursday, dealing a blow to the incumbent despite an early endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Ogles lost the nomination to Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner and dairy farmer who garnered endorsements from prominent establishment Republicans in Tennessee, including outgoing Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam.
Ogles’ reelection campaign faced several headwinds. A Republican-led effort to redraw Tennessee’s congressional map significantly reshaped his 5th District, bringing new communities and voters into the district ahead of the primary. Ogles also faced backlash from advocacy groups and fellow lawmakers in March after saying “Muslims don’t belong in American society.”
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Carla Herreria is an editor for MS NOW’s breaking news and liveblog team. She was previously a senior assignment editor at HuffPost and a breaking news editor at Factal.
