TENNESSEE: YOU DESERVE BETTER!
National Democrats target Rep. Andy Ogles' seat
Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The national Democratic Party will put money toward ousting U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles next year.
Why it matters: It's an unprecedented move in recent Tennessee political history for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to target a House Republican.
- The DCCC infuses financial resources and organizational help that Tennessee Democrats have sorely lacked since they lost control of the seat in 2022.
State of play: Ogles has tacked far to the right in the gerrymandered district that includes about a third of Nashville clumped together with conservative suburbs and hyper-conservative rural areas.
- His time in Congress has been defined by loyalty to President Trump as well as campaign finance scandals.
- More recently, Ogles has hammered Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell over his response to federal immigration raids.
Yes, but: The DCCC's decision to target the seat preceded Ogles decision to take on O'Connell.
Between the lines: Due to the pre-existing scandal and the hope that 2026 will be a banner year for Democrats, the DCCC views Ogles as vulnerable.
Flashback: Ogles defeated state Sen. Heidi Campbell in 2022 and he bested anti-gun activist Maryam Abolfazli last year.
- Ogles outperformed Trump in the district last year. Ogles won by 17.8 points, compared to Trump's 11.3-point margin.
- Details of an FBI investigation into Ogles' finances came out after last year's tough primary, meaning he hasn't faced a slate of negative ads on the issue.
What she's saying: "Scandal after scandal, lie after lie, Andy Ogles continues to prove that he has no interest in actually working for the people of Tennessee's 5th Congressional District," DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus tells Axios. "He's chasing self-enrichment and his constituents are tired of it."
- "Tennessee's voters deserve real representation and the DCCC is working to ensure we flip this seat blue next November and get a real fighter in Congress for TN-05," she says.
The big picture: Democrats previously had a stranglehold on District 5 since the Civil War. For generations, the district was essentially Nashville's congressional seat, with a few neighboring counties included.
- U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, a moderate Democrat, represented the district for two decades.
- Then, the Republican-led legislature redrew district lines to carve Nashville into three districts in which conservatives in neighboring counties outnumbered mostly liberal voters.
Reality check: Ogles enters the race as a clear favorite. It's too soon to know if the nation is bracing for a blue wave in 2026, though it's fairly common for the minority party to do well in midterm elections.
- An Ogles spokesperson declined to comment.
What's next: The DCCC is actively recruiting possible candidates, but none have emerged yet.
- State Rep. Bob Freeman, a viable Democratic option, told the Nashville Banner this week he isn't interested at this time.
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