Tennessee GOP congressman loses primary after controversial remarks

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., lost his Republican primary for Tennessee's redrawn 5th Congressional District to former state agriculture commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who won 53.2% of the vote to Ogles' 46.8%, despite Ogles having been endorsed by President Trump.

Ogles had drawn national criticism after posting on social media during Pride Month in June that "Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month." The post was deleted, and Ogles said a communications staffer had written it while he was working on his farm, calling the message "stupid" and "hurtful." Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the post "idiotic," and other Republican colleagues also criticized it.

Ogles had also called for an investigation into Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX halftime show in February, describing it as "gay pornography," and wrote in March that "Muslims don't belong in American society." Hatcher, who also campaigned as a Trump supporter and had the backing of Gov. Bill Lee, referred to Ogles as a "show horse" during the campaign.

The 5th District was reshaped by redistricting that broke up the seat previously held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who announced in May he would not seek reelection. The new district is expected to remain safely Republican in November, making the primary the decisive contest for the seat.

Read the full story at instinctmagazine.com.