Rep. Andy Ogles, a conservative Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump, is facing a significant challenge in his re-election bid for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, fueled by a super PAC bankrolled by a prominent Democratic donor. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean energy super PAC, has poured approximately $2 million into opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, the former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture.
Chris Larsen, the billionaire chairman of the financial technology company Ripple, has provided the majority of the funding for the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, donating $6 million since February 2026. This includes a recent $5 million contribution. Larsen has a history of significant donations to Democratic campaigns and PACs, including substantial contributions to Future Forward PAC, which supported Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, and the Jane Fonda Climate PAC.
Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has been a vocal critic of energy initiatives passed under the Biden administration, particularly subsidies included in the Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. He views the substantial spending by the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition as an attempt by groups that profit from government subsidies to retaliate against his stance on energy policy.
"When you have a group spending roughly $2 million in a Republican primary, that tells you how much money they're making off of government subsidies, and they're upset that the government welfare has been taken away from them," Ogles told Fox News Digital. He suggested that his opposition to renewable energy subsidies and his close ties to Trump have made him a target.
Trump has publicly endorsed Ogles, reaffirming his support for the congressman. "Andy will be really enshrined as one of the best congressmen that you’ll ever see," Trump stated. "He’s been a great help. He’s been a source of inspiration to a lot of people in Congress."
Tom Matzzie, executive chairman of the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition and CEO of solar energy company CleanChoice Energy, stated that politicians who oppose clean energy do so at their own political risk. Ogles, however, maintains that his views align with what he believes Americans want, citing national debt concerns and a desire for an energy sector that is self-reliant.
"If trying to build an energy sector that is self-reliant, because it's a national security issue, makes me an extremist, then so be it," Ogles said, emphasizing his support for an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy without government intervention in picking market winners and losers. He stated he does not require government subsidies for his own energy investments, such as solar panels for his farm.
The Tennessee Republican primary is scheduled for Thursday, August 6.