Rep. Andy Ogles Fends Off Challenger in Tennessee GOP Primary

The Tennessee Republican handily defeated primary challenger Courtney Johnston.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) talks to reporters with fellow Freedom Caucus members Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) (L) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) about their Stand with Israel resolution at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington on March 5, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) easily fended off a primary challenge in Tennessee’s 5th congressional district primary.

Ogles was declared victorious over challenger Courtney Johnston, a member of the Nashville Metropolitan Council.

With 65 percent of the vote counted, AP declared Ogles victorious over Johnston at around 9:20 p.m. ET. At the time of publication, Ogles led Johnston by over nine points.

The 5th congressional district is one of three Nashville area districts redrawn favorably to Republicans in the wake of the 2020 census. The redrawn districts are expected to prevent Democrats from reclaiming any of the Nashville area seats despite that area’s left-leaning bent.

Thus, Ogles’ victory means he has a high chance of winning in November. In his last election in 2022, he flipped the seat from Democrats by a substantial 13-point margin, in part due to redistricting.

Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was considered to be heavily favored to win the seat after garnering the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Still, Johnston ran a competitive fundraising operation, drawing national attention to the central Tennessee congressional district.

Trump called Ogles “a spectacular man, a great leader” in a campaign video released by Ogles.

The former president said Ogles has “a proven track record of creating jobs and protecting your communities and standing up for Tennessee values. Andy bravely stood up against the Biden administration’s unconstitutional COID mandates and strongly defended the freedoms of Tennessee families.”

Johnston was seen as running a more moderate campaign than Ogles.

In a campaign ad she released, Johnston said Ogles “has done nothing” since taking the seat in 2022.

She criticized him for the border crisis, government spending, and the failure to pass legislation this Congress.

In November, Ogles will face Democrat Maryam Abolfazli, who ran in her primary unopposed.

Due to the Republican-leaning district, Ogles is expected to easily win re-election.

When Ogles got to Congress in 2023, one of his first acts as a legislator was to oppose the accession of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to the speakership.

However, Ogles ultimately ended up supporting McCarthy.

Ogles has also filed impeachment articles against Vice President Kamala Harris twice, once in 2023 and again after Harris took over the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.