In a surprising upset that underscores shifting dynamics within the U.S. Republican Party, two-term incumbent Congressman Andy Ogles has been ousted in Tennessee’s 5th District Republican primary, becoming the second candidate backed by former President Donald Trump to lose a nomination contest this week.
Former state agricultural commissioner Charlie Hatcher secured victory over Ogles in Thursday’s intra-party contest, a result that came just hours after Trump issued a last-minute full endorsement of the incumbent on his Truth Social platform. “Congressman Andy Ogles is doing a fantastic job,” Trump wrote in the post, adding “Andy is a Conservative Warrior who has strong support from his Community.” The defeat follows a similar upset a day earlier in Michigan, where another Trump-endorsed Republican candidate fell short of nomination.
Ogles, who has represented the safely Republican district since he took office in 2023, leaves the primary race after a tenure marked by repeated high-profile controversies. He was investigated over claims of campaign finance violations, though no criminal charges were ultimately filed, and he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. More significantly, he drew widespread backlash from across the political spectrum for virulent anti-Muslim public comments, including posts on X that claimed “Muslims don’t belong in American society” and “America and Islam are incompatible.”
Hatcher will now advance to the general election this November, where he will face Democratic nominee Chaz Molder, the current mayor of Columbia, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. This cycle’s 2026 midterm elections will see all 435 U.S. House seats and 35 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats up for grabs, making control of both chambers of Congress on the line for voters.
While two high-profile Trump picks have fallen this primary week, the former president’s influence within the GOP remains substantial, with a string of primary victories for his endorsed candidates to offset the losses. In a separate Tennessee primary contest, Trump-backed candidate Amir Hassan underperformed badly against Tom Smith, who had suspended his own campaign in July and endorsed a different contender. But in Michigan, John James secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination despite being dramatically outspent by a wealthy rival, with a last-minute campaign appearance and endorsement from Trump boosting his odds of victory. Trump-endorsed candidates also won gubernatorial nominations in Kansas, and picked up a House primary victory in Washington state, where Amanda McKinney, the former president’s pick, finished first.
This primary season has already broken modern records for the number of sitting congressional incumbents failing to secure their party’s renomination. According to data from *Vital Statistics on Congress*, six Democratic incumbents and three Republican incumbents have lost their primaries so far — the highest number of incumbent losses in a non-redistricting election cycle since 1970.