Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles loses Tennessee primary to Charlie Hatcher

The Associated Press projects Republican Rep. Andy Ogles lost his primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District despite President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher is projected to become the GOP nominee. With just over 80% of votes counted in the Aug. 6 primary, Ogles trailed Hatcher by just over six points.

The race was reshaped by a new Tennessee congressional map that split Memphis and left only about 17% of the district’s original constituents in the seat after redistricting. That cut into the usual advantage of incumbency and forced Ogles to defend a district that had far less continuity than the one he had represented.

Gov. Bill Lee endorsed Hatcher two days before the election, placing Tennessee’s governor on the opposite side of Trump in the contest. The loss was also the second this week for a congressional candidate backed by Trump, a sign that the former president’s endorsement remains potent but not decisive when local conditions are stacked against the candidate.

Ogles entered the race carrying his own liabilities. He had faced a federal investigation into campaign finance inconsistencies and criticism over anti-Muslim rhetoric, vulnerabilities that made his primary defense harder in a district already altered by redistricting. In a seat where the map changed the electorate and state leaders split with the White House, Hatcher was able to turn a Trump-backed incumbent’s greatest asset into something closer to a liability.