Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., was defeated in his Republican primary Thursday by challenger Charlie Hatcher, a farmer and former state commissioner of agriculture. The race drew attention beyond its district due to significant outside spending and endorsements from national and state political figures.
The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC spent approximately $2 million opposing Ogles and supporting Hatcher, contributing substantially to the group's $6.7 million raised this year. Ogles has suggested this spending is a retaliation from entities profiting from government subsidies for renewable energy, which he has advocated to scale back.
"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.
A review of Federal Election Commission filings indicated the super PAC is financed by Chris Larsen, the billionaire chairman of Ripple, a financial technology company. Larsen is also noted as a significant donor to Democratic candidates, including contributions to Kamala Harris's past presidential campaign.
Ogles believes his alignment with former President Donald Trump and his outspoken nature on policy issues made him a target. "It's because I'm close to the president. It is because I am outspoken. And quite frankly, it is because I speak plainly on these issues," Ogles stated.
Tennessee's Republican Governor Bill Lee endorsed Hatcher, citing a personal relationship and Hatcher's conservative values. "He served as my commissioner of agriculture; I know Charlie. I know his conservative values and how much he loves our country. Charlie has stood with President Trump since day one," Lee said in a video.
Former President Trump had endorsed Ogles, calling him "one of the best congressmen that you’ll ever see" on Truth Social earlier this year. Ogles had previously won his seat in 2022.
Hatcher, who campaigned on bringing "farmer common sense" to Washington and supporting the Trump administration's agenda, is now favored to win the general election in November. He previously served as Tennessee's commissioner of agriculture.
