Today, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder won the Democratic primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District and will advance to the general election as the party’s nominee. DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene released the following statement congratulating him:
“Mayor Chaz Molder has never been distracted by partisan politics or political games because he’s focused on delivering results. That’s the kind of commonsense leadership Tennessee families deserve in Washington fighting for them. While Charlie Hatcher limps out of a messy primary with no resources and no message, Chaz is building the momentum he needs to win in November.”
BACKGROUND:
Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District has Republican-leaning DNA, but a confluence of factors including the strong candidate quality of Chaz Molder, a national environment that is highly favorable to Democrats, and Black voter backlash in response to racial gerrymandering has put this seat squarely in play. Democrats in Tennessee have already proven an ability to overperform in this environment: State Rep. Aftyn Behn overperformed Kamala Harris by 14 points in a 2025 special election in TN-07, over a quarter of which is now in TN-05. Also notable: In 2018, in the competitive U.S. Senate election, Phil Bredesen finished within a point of Marsha Blackburn in the new TN-05 district lines.
Chaz Molder has what it takes to keep the momentum going. Polling shows him within striking distance in a general election matchup. Chaz has proven himself to be a prolific fundraiser and continues to raise the resources needed to communicate effectively to Tennessee voters, while Hatcher emerges from his messy primary with one-tenth of the resources. There is a clear pathway for Chaz to make up the ground needed to pull ahead.
CATCH UP QUICK:
The New York Times: Democrats Eye a Broader Battlefield to Capture Congress in November [The New York Times, 4/19/26]
“There’s a number of people that are running for Congress across the country that are a lot like me, that just think we can do better, think that we need to be a little nicer, think that we need a focus on issues that actually matter,” Mr. Molder said, his voice barely above a whisper in a tented turkey blind during opening weekend for hunting this month […] “We have to focus on the issues that actually matter, the kitchen table issues, and perhaps that focus has been lost,” Mr. Molder said in an interview, after more than an hour of waving and compliment-tossing at the Mule Day parade, a yearly homage to the town’s history of breeding mules.
The New York Times: To Win Back the House, Democrats Take the Fight to Deep-Red Areas [The New York Times, 2/5/26]
Democratic officials are excited about Chaz Molder, a local mayor, who pitched himself in an interview as a pragmatist with deep community ties. “I go to the same church and sit in the same pew I did as a kid,” Mr. Molder said.
The Washington Post: Democrats aim for midterm upsets in districts that Trump safely won [The Washington Post, 4/21/26]
“Traditionally it’s not been a battleground, but we’re changing that in this cycle,” said the challenger, Chaz Molder of Columbia, Tennessee. “In this district the Democratic brand is damaged. My objective is to show that brand can always be repaired.”
The Tennessean: Ogles challenger Chaz Molder named priority candidate by DCCC [The Tennessean, 2/23/26]
“People want someone who’s focused on issues that actually matter,” Molder told The Tennessean. “Potholes don’t have partisan labels.”
The Tennessean: Former Gov. Phil Bredesen endorses Chaz Molder for Congress in TN-5 [The Tennessean, 7/24/26] |
