Andy Ogles loses Tennessee Republican primary

Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee lost his Republican primary to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, a defeat for a Trump-backed incumbent in a primary season that has already been unusually difficult for sitting members of Congress.

NBC News projected Hatcher’s victory, while the Associated Press also projected Ogles’ loss. With just over 80% of votes counted in Thursday’s primary, Ogles trailed Hatcher by just over 6 percentage points, according to results compiled by the AP and reported by CBS News.

Hatcher, who served as Tennessee’s agriculture commissioner, benefited from support from prominent establishment Republicans, including Gov. Bill Lee, former Gov. Bill Haslam and former Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Ogles had the endorsement of President Donald Trump, often among the most influential advantages in Republican primaries, but it was not enough to secure renomination.

Hatcher is expected to be a heavy favorite in the general election in the deep-red district.

The race also featured a major spending imbalance. Ogles was outraised and outspent on television advertising, largely because of a large ad campaign from a pro-clean energy group. Ogles criticized the last-minute effort in an interview with Fox News.

Hatcher did not distance himself from Trump during the campaign despite Trump’s endorsement of Ogles. Instead, he aligned himself with Trump and his policies while drawing a contrast with the incumbent. “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, a two-term congressman, has faced several controversies. NBC News reported that he said this year that Muslims don’t belong in American society. He also deleted a homophobic social media post after blaming a staffer and last year argued that the federal government should revoke future New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s citizenship and deport him.

Ogles was also investigated on suspicion of campaign finance violations, though he has not been charged with any crimes. He told The Associated Press that the Justice Department returned his cellphone, which had been seized during the investigation.

The result adds to a rare wave of incumbent primary defeats. Ogles is the ninth House member this year — six Democrats and three Republicans — to lose a primary, the highest number in a nondecennial redistricting year since 1970, according to Vital Statistics on Congress.

Two Republican senators, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas, also lost their primaries. Another House member, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, finished second in his primary and later decided to drop out of the race and resign before a Republican runoff.

CBS News reported that Ogles’ defeat marked the second loss this week by a congressional candidate endorsed by Trump, whose backing typically carries significant weight in Republican primaries.