Embattled MAGA candidate loses key Tennessee primary race

A major Tennessee primary has been called on Thursday night, deciding the fate of a scandal-plagued MAGA lawmaker.

Rep. Andy Ogles has lost re-nomination against his primary opponent, former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, according to calls from the Associated Press and NBC News.

He represents Tennessee's 5th District, a snaking gerrymander that stretches from Memphis to the Kentucky border to the southern exurbs of Nashville. It was one of a number of districts chopped to pieces by the Donald Trump-endorsed redistricting of the state earlier this year.

Ogles, however, has been a constant source of controversy for his party.

Shortly after his first election in 2022, local reporting revealed that Ogles had embellished or fabricated major parts of his campaign biography, including his alleged former time as an economist and law enforcement officer. He has also faced ethics and criminal investigations into his underhanded campaign finance tactics. And two months ago, he posted a rant so virulently homophobic even members of his own party pressured him into deleting it.

In the lead-up to the election results, Ogles landed in fresh controversy as his staffers barred a reporter from NewsChannel 5, the outlet that originally broke his false campaign biography claims, from the gaggle room at a daycare campaign stop in Nashville, and openly lying about the reason.