Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., won his primary Thursday, The Associated Press projects, leveraging his endorsement from former President Donald Trump to fend off a well-funded GOP challenger.
Ogles is a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus who reintroduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Kamala Harris last week after she launched her presidential campaign. Ogles, who is in his first term, defeated Nashville Metropolitan Council member Courtney Johnston, who outraised and outspent him on the airwaves in the 5th District.
Johnson had sought to cast Ogles as a “do-nothing” politician, saying in one of her ads, “Andy Ogles is weak, and he’s accomplished nothing. He chases headlines, not results.”
Johnston also had a boost from a super PAC, Conservatives With Character, that is funded by some prominent Tennessee donors and politicians, including GOP former Sen. Bill Frist. GOP former Sen. Bob Corker also donated to Johnston’s campaign.
The super PAC tied Ogles to disgraced former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was expelled from Congress for violating campaign finance law and also grabbed headlines for fabricating his résumé. WTVF-TV of Nashville found Ogles exaggerated his professional experience. Ogles also claimed to have lent his campaign $320,000 but later removed the loan from his campaign finance report.
Ogles, meanwhile, touted Trump’s endorsements in his campaign ads.
Ogles, a former county mayor, won a crowded primary in 2022 with just 35% of the vote, saying at the time: “We’re at war. This is a political war, a cultural war, and it’s a spiritual war.”
Ogles is expected to carry the GOP-leaning 5th District in November.
