Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is backing a Republican challenger to incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for the District 5 primary.
Haslam endorsed former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher late in the race, just as early voting kicked off last week. Haslam has been one of Hatcher’s top donors and similarly supported Ogles’ previous challenger, Nashville Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston.
In a release announcing the endorsement, Hatcher said he sought advice from the former governor.
“’Run the right race, and you can’t lose,’” Hatcher said, quoting Haslam. “He did not mean I could not lose the election. He meant that by running with integrity and doing things the right way, I could not lose in life.”
Ogles, on the other hand, received an early endorsement from President Donald Trump last year, calling him a “conservative warrior.” Hatcher has aligned himself with Trump in campaign materials and has said that he looks forward to earning the president’s support.
Internal polling from the Hatcher campaign puts the race at a virtual tie. Hatcher has out-fundraised Ogles, but the two-term congressman fended off a better-funded challenge in Johnston during the 2024 primaries.
MORE: Tennessee redrew its congressional map. Here’s who’s on your primary ballot.
Ogles flipped the district red in 2022 after lawmakers redrew the 5th District to include rural areas to the south of Nashville.
This spring, Tennessee’s mid-cycle redistricting moved that district almost entirely out of Middle Tennessee and into West Tennessee. But unlike other districts, where new candidates have entered or old candidates have dropped, the Republican primary ballot for District 5 remains unchanged with Ogles facing Hatcher.
Whoever wins will likely face Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in the general election. Molder has raised nearly twice as much as Hatcher and Ogles combined. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has supported Molder as national Democrats see Ogles’ seat as vulnerable.
Early voting continues through Aug. 1. Primary election day is Aug. 6.
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