Trump-Backed Ogles Loses Tennessee GOP Primary to Hatcher

Voters in Tennessee’s newly redrawn 5th Congressional District rejected two-term Republican incumbent Andy Ogles on Thursday, handing the nomination to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher by roughly 53 percent to 47 percent. The outcome tested the reach of President Donald Trump’s endorsement in a district redrawn by the Republican-controlled legislature to strengthen the party’s hold on the state’s nine House seats. Hatcher, a fifth-generation dairy farmer who served seven years under term-limited Governor Bill Lee, secured the governor’s endorsement and positioned himself as aligned with Trump’s agenda despite lacking the president’s direct backing.

Outside spending shaped the contest. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a super PAC funded primarily by California cryptocurrency executive Chris Larsen, spent between $1 million and $2 million opposing Ogles and supporting Hatcher, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by multiple outlets. Ogles, a House Freedom Caucus member, had opposed clean-energy subsidies that benefited interests tied to the group. Larsen has donated millions to Democratic candidates, including Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. Ogles told Fox News Digital that the spending reflected opposition to the withdrawal of government support for those subsidies.

The district’s new boundaries left Ogles facing an electorate in which an estimated 82 percent of voters had not previously participated in his races. Hatcher will face Democratic nominee Chaz Molder, mayor of Columbia, in November in a seat that favors Republicans. Separate primaries produced a Trump-backed winner in the redrawn 9th District and a gubernatorial nomination for Senator Marsha Blackburn.

Ogles faced prior scrutiny over campaign finance reporting and an inaccurate description of his academic credentials. Federal authorities returned his cellphone in May 2026 without charges, a development noted in some but not all coverage. Hatcher received additional endorsements from former Governor Bill Haslam and former Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.