Middle Tennessee’s congressional races take shape, with Andy Ogles outpacing stuffed 5th District GOP primary

Updated 12:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5.

With primary elections all wrapped up we now know which Middle Tennessee congressional candidates will face-off in the general election on Nov. 8.

District 5

In a stuffed primary with nine candidates, Andy Ogles appears to have come out on top. The Maury County mayor currently has 37% of the votes as of Thursday night. He’s ahead of both Beth Harwell and Kurt Winstead, who each earned around a quarter of the votes. But in Tennessee there’s no runoffs, so Ogles doesn’t have to win more than 50% of the votes to continue to the general election.

If early results hold true, Ogles will duke it out with Democrat Heidi Campbell. Campbell currently represents state Senate District 20 in the Tennessee General Assembly.

The district is rated safe Republican on Sabato’s Crystal Ball, run out the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Historically, the 5th District has been a Democratic stronghold, but after redistricting by the Republican-led General Assembly, it leans conservative.

Ogles greeted cheering supporters Thursday night and riled up his base, calling for President Joe Biden’s impeachment.

“And to lazy Joe you need to be impeached, Kamala [Harris] needs to be impeached and the Secretary of Homeland Security should be tried for treason for letting too many people into this country,” said Ogles.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel issued a congratulatory statement near the end of the night.

“Congratulations to Andy Ogles and all of our other GOP nominees that are ready to keep the Volunteer State red!” McDaniel wrote. 

District 6

On the Republican side, this race was a given because incumbent Republican John Rose had no challengers. Rose has been in office since 2018. His seat is also rated as a safe for Republicans. Rose will face off against Randal Cooper who defeated Clay Faircloth, a pastor, in the primary. Cooper, a mechanical engineer who lives in East Nashville, says he hasn’t reached the threshold to report his donations to the Federal Election Commission.

While Rep. Rose has raised more than $1 million for his re-election bid, Cooper says he is not worried about his financial disadvantage. He believes his positions will not alienate the district’s more conservative voters.

“Wanting to take care of your kids and wanting them to be safe in school isn’t a progressive position, it’s a moderate position,” he told WPLN. “Wanting women to have access to healthcare, wanting everybody to have access to healthcare isn’t a progressive position it’s a moderate position.”

District 7

The race for the 7th Congressional District was another noncompetitive primary. Republican incumbent Mark Green has been in Congress since 2018. His challenger Democrat Odessa Kelly also ran unopposed. While self-labeled as a progressive, Kelly, a gay Black woman, is running in a district that has voted Republican since at least 2000. But she says she’s not worried.

“As a progressive, I fight for all people, even people who consider themselves Trumpers,” Kelly said earlier this year. “The things that show up relevant in our everyday lives and push us forward, those are the things that we fight for.”

Green, a former Army flight surgeon, has been outspoken against transgender people using the bathroom of their choice. Green has also urged Tennessee clerks to not recognize gay marriages.