Decision Desk HQ projects Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) to have secured the Republican nomination for re-election to his congressional district, beating off a well-funded primary challenger.
Ogles, who was first elected in 2022 to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, defeated Nashville City Council Member Courtney Johnson in the nomination race and will be the favorite to run for re-election in November in the conservative-leaning district.
A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Ogles has a reputation as one of the House’s most conservative members. He stalled the House for several days in January 2023 when he and more than a dozen other House Republicans refrained from endorsing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker of the House.
He ultimately came out in support of McCarthy and did not support the ultimately successful effort to remove him from his position as speaker last October.
But Johnson blasted Ogles as a “do-nothing” Republican who’s accomplished nothing except attracting attention. Hit In a recent ad, he criticized the president for not taking a leading role on border security and fighting inflation.
During his time in office, Ogles has been embroiled in several controversies over his record and campaign finances.
In late February of last year, Ogles admitted to falsely listing a college degree on his resume, earning a liberal arts degree instead of an international studies degree, according to local Tennessee media. detail “Exaggeration” in Ogles’ personal story.
Ogles also came under scrutiny for redacting his 2022 Federal Election Commission filings. A nonpartisan congressional watchdog group filed an ethics complaint against him in January for making false statements on those filings, and he ultimately filed a complaint. Modified He filed paperwork reporting he had loaned the campaign $20,000, not $320,000.
Ogles said he had “promised” to spend up to $320,000 on his campaign but ultimately didn’t need to spend that much.
Johnson attacked Ogles on these issues, positioning himself as the candidate who would achieve the policy gains the incumbent had failed to make.
Johnson narrowly beat Ogles in the primary, raising about $800,000 compared to Ogles’ more than $700,000.
But Ogles had the backing of prominent Republican lawmakers, including former President Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Ogles Said Ahead of the primary, he told Punchbowl News that he’s “not taking anything for granted” on the campaign trail.
“We’re losing money, but we’re working harder,” he said. “We have the grassroots support and we’re polling well. We can’t take our foot off the gas.”
