Trump-Backed Rep. Andy Ogles Loses Tennessee GOP Primary

Rep. Andy Ogles, a two-term Tennessee Republican endorsed by President Trump, lost his primary Thursday to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, The Associated Press projects.

With virtually all of the vote counted, Hatcher led by just over six percentage points, according to unofficial results released by the state.

It was the second defeat this week for a congressional candidate backed by Trump, whose endorsement usually carries heavy weight in Republican primaries. In a Michigan House primary two days earlier, the Trump-endorsed candidate also lost.

Trump brushed off the result Friday, calling Ogles "a person who I remained loyal to even though he had virtually no chance of winning, and was running against a Great 'Trump' Candidate." The president endorsed Hatcher for the general election. Hatcher will face Democratic nominee Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, in November. The district is deeply conservative.

Ogles, a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, won Trump's endorsement last November, and the president urged voters to back the "Conservative Warrior" in an Election Day social media post. Hatcher was endorsed by Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam.

Ogles drew criticism for social media posts stating that "homosexuality has no place in America" and that "Muslims don't belong in American society." He deleted the first post, saying the "stupid" and "hurtful" message was written by a staff member who was later "reprimanded." The FBI seized his phone in 2024 in a campaign finance investigation; the Justice Department agreed to return it earlier this year, and he was not charged.

The district was redrawn this year in an effort that broke up Tennessee's only Democratic-leaning seat, and now runs more than 200 miles from the Nashville suburbs to Memphis.

Ogles raised $613,135 to Hatcher's $719,503, and a pro-clean energy super PAC, the Invest In Tomorrow Coalition, spent about $2 million against him. Hatcher told CBS News he was "as surprised as anybody" by the outside spending and could not coordinate with the group.

Hatcher, a dairy farmer and livestock veterinarian who ran on the slogan "hire a farmer," said Ogles called to concede and offered to help him transition.