Rep. Andy Ogles lost his bid for reelection in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on Thursday, dealing a blow to the incumbent despite an early endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Ogles lost the nomination to Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner and dairy farmer who garnered endorsements from prominent establishment Republicans in Tennessee, including outgoing Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam.

Ogles’ reelection campaign faced several headwinds. A Republican-led effort to redraw Tennessee’s congressional map significantly reshaped his 5th District, bringing new communities and voters into the district ahead of the primary. Ogles also faced backlash from advocacy groups and fellow lawmakers in March after saying “Muslims don’t belong in American society.”

Despite Trump endorsing Ogles, Hatcher closely aligned himself with the president throughout his campaign.

Hatcher’s campaign website describes Trump as “the most impactful president of our lifetime,” adding that he “needs some help from a farmer’s work-hard mentality.”

With the Republican nomination in hand, Hatcher is favored to win the deep-red district come November.

The post Backed by Trump, Rep. Andy Ogles loses Tennessee GOP House primary appeared first on MS NOW.

Author: Source Author

From MS Now.