Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) won the GOP nomination for another term representing his House district, fending off a well-funded primary challenger, Decision Desk HQ Projects.
Ogles, who was first elected to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District in 2022, defeated Nashville Metropolitan Council member Courtney Johnson for the nomination and will be the favorite to win re-election in November in the conservative district.
A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Ogles gained a reputation as one of the chamber’s most conservative members. He joined more than a dozen other House Republicans in resisting support for now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid to lead the body, paralyzing the House for days in January 2023.
He ultimately supported McCarthy and did not support the successful effort to remove him as speaker of the House last October.
But Johnson attacked Ogles as a “do-nothing” Republican who hasn’t accomplished much beyond grabbing headlines. She it hit him in a recent announcement for failing to lead on addressing border security and inflation.
Ogles has courted controversy on a few occasions while serving regarding his background and campaign finances.
In late February of last year, Ogles acknowledged that he had misstated his college degree on his resume and received a liberal studies degree instead of an international relations degree. This happened after a local Tennessee store detailed “exaggerations” in Ogles’ personal history.
Ogles also faced some scrutiny over changes he made to his 2022 Federal Election Commission files. A nonpartisan congressional watchdog filed an ethics complaint against Ogles in January, alleging he lied on his forms, and Ogles ended up changed his request stating that he loaned his campaign $20,000 instead of $320,000.
Ogles said he “promised” to use up to $320,000 for his campaign, but ultimately didn’t need to use that much.
Johnson went after Ogles over these controversies and sought to position herself as a candidate who will achieve political achievements where the incumbent could not.
Johnson narrowly bested Ogles in the primary, raising nearly $800,000 to Ogles’ more than $700,000.
But Ogles had the support of former President Trump and key Republicans like Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mike Lee (Utah) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Eyes counted Punchbowl News before the primary that he was “taking nothing for granted” in the race.
“We’re spending too much, but we’re working harder,” he said. “We have the base and our polls look good. You never take your foot off the gas.”
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