Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has lost his Republican primary, NBC News projects, falling to a former state official in a primary season that has seen an unusually high number of incumbents lose renomination.
Charlie Hatcher, the former state agricultural commissioner, rode support from prominent establishment Republicans to a victory over the controversial congressman backed by President Donald Trump. He is a heavy favorite in the general election for the deep-red district.
Ogles was outraised and outspent on the airwaves, largely due to a massive ad effort from a pro-clean energy group — a last-minute campaign Ogles criticized in an interview with Fox News.
While Ogles had arguably the most important endorsement in a GOP primary in the form of Trump, Hatcher had backing from current Gov. Bill Lee, former Gov. Bill Haslam and other prominent Republicans, like former Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Ogles has faced various controversies over the years. He said earlier this year that Muslims don’t belong in American society, deleted a homophobic social media post after blaming a staffer, and argued last year the federal government should revoke future New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s citizenship and deport him. Ogles was also investigated for campaign finance violations, though he has not been charged with any crimes. Ogles told The Associated Press that the Justice Department returned his cellphone, which it had seized during the investigation.
But while Ogles had fended off a well-funded primary opponent before, he couldn’t do so this time. Hatcher didn’t run away from Trump, either, despite the president’s support for the incumbent. The challenger aligned himself with the president and his policies while seeking to contrast himself with Ogles.
“Think what President Trump could do if our congressman spent less time talking and more time doing,” reads a quote on Hatcher’s website.
Ogles is the ninth House member — six Democrats and three Republicans — to lose a primary this year. That’s the most in a non-decennial redistricting year since 1970, according to Vital Statistics on Congress.
Another two senators, Republicans Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas, also lost their primaries, and an additional House member — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas — finished second in his primary and then decided to drop out of the race and resign before a GOP runoff.
