In a rare rejection of a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate, former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent Representative Andy Ogles in Tennessee's Republican primary on August 6, 2026. The election was the first under a newly redrawn congressional map that split the Democratic stronghold of Memphis into three districts. The redistricting prompted the retirement of Democratic Representative Steve Cohen and set up a high-stakes November matchup in the 9th District between Trump-backed Republican Brent Taylor and progressive Democrat Justin Pearson.
Ogles primary defeat
- ▪Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent U.S. Representative Andy Ogles in the Republican primary for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District on August 6, 2026.
- ▪Incumbent Representative Andy Ogles faced a high-dollar outside campaign from the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean-energy super PAC that spent approximately $1.7 million opposing him and supporting Charlie Hatcher.
Tennessee congressional redistricting
- ▪The Republican-led Tennessee Legislature redrew the state's congressional map in May 2026, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities.
- ▪The newly redrawn congressional map split Shelby County, which contains Memphis, among three separate districts that extend outward into rural areas.
Trump endorsement impact
- ▪Donald Trump endorsed state Senator Brent Taylor, who successfully captured the Republican nomination in Tennessee's newly redrawn 9th Congressional District on August 6, 2026.
- ▪Charlie Hatcher won the Republican primary for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District despite lacking Donald Trump's endorsement, though Hatcher was backed by Republican Governor Bill Lee.
Memphis 9th District reconfiguration
- ▪Following the redistricting of the 9th Congressional District, longtime Democratic Representative Steve Cohen announced that he would no longer seek reelection.
- ▪The previously compact, majority-Black 9th Congressional District in Memphis was reconfigured to stretch 200 miles east across rural areas, shifting it from a Democratic-favoring district to one that tilts Republican.
November general election matchups
- ▪U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn won the Republican gubernatorial primary on August 6, 2026, to succeed term-limited Governor Bill Lee, and will face Democrat Jerri Green in November.
- ▪Republican state Senator Brent Taylor will face Democratic state Representative Justin Pearson in the November 2026 general election for the reconfigured 9th Congressional District.
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