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As Andy Ogles continues to hide from both his constituents and his job, more people are opening their eyes to the race to replace Tennessee’s most vulnerable, scandal-ridden, and absentee representative.
Read the case for yourself:
Politico: Why Democrats have hope in a deep-red Tennessee district
- Democrats say they have a shot at winning a district that Donald Trump won by 18 points last year.
- Tennessee’s 5th District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, stands out as Democrats’ biggest reach on its target list.
- Democrats are bullish on the seat…
- The Democrats’ strategy involves homing in on the national redistricting fight — a campaign which has only intensified in recent months at the president’s urging.
- Ogles’ district is one of three that were redrawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2022 to split up deep-blue Nashville. While Ogles’ constituency includes parts of some consistently Republican, rural communities, it also has a large portion of voters in urban and suburban areas, which lean toward Democrats.
- And Democrats think Ogles has a track record that makes him vulnerable. He has made news for allegations of campaign finance violations and fiercely criticizing Nashville officials over crime and immigration enforcement. Democrats are betting these local and national headlines have alienated voters, especially in Nashville and its surrounding suburbs.
- Ogles drew a primary challenger last cycle, and both parties are watching to see if he draws another. A messy GOP primary threatens to drain Republican voter enthusiasm in a state that has one of the lowest voter participation rates in the country.
- Meanwhile, local Democratic organizers feel that they have a strong ground game. A closely watched special election — which is holding its primary on Tuesday — in the district next door has allowed them to test their voter turnout efforts.
- “Things are very different in the 2026 cycle so far,” said Dakota Galban, who chairs the Democratic Party in the county encompassing Nashville and its suburbs.
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