Marsha Blackburn Won Tennessee's Governor Primary by 11 Points. Down the Ballot, Trump's Endorsement Wasn't Enough to Save Andy Ogles.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee's Republican primary for governor Thursday night, clearing a field that spent months trying to attack her from the right and setting her up to be the heavy favorite in a state Democrats have not won statewide since 2006.

The Associated Press called the race at 8:31 p.m. CDT. With roughly two-thirds of ballots counted, Blackburn led U.S. Rep. John Rose 43.8% to 32.6%, with state Rep. Monty Fritts taking the remainder. Rose had made the race expensive, putting $13 million of his own money into it, including $4.5 million in the closing weeks. Blackburn raised $10.8 million.

The line of attack against her was unusual for a Republican primary: Rose and Fritts both hammered Blackburn for certifying the 2020 election results, arguing that a senator who signed off on Joe Biden's win could not be trusted as the state's most conservative option. Blackburn ran instead on her proximity to President Trump, featuring him prominently in her campaign announcement video — though he never endorsed anyone in the race. She now faces Democratic nominee Jerri Green in November for the seat Gov. Bill Lee is vacating under term limits.

The more instructive result was one district down. In the 5th Congressional District, Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, defeated two-term Rep. Andy Ogles by just over six percentage points with more than 80% of votes counted — despite Trump having endorsed Ogles. Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam both backed Hatcher, and the state's Republican establishment lined up behind him.

Ogles arrived at the primary carrying more baggage than most incumbents. The FBI seized his phone in 2024 as part of a campaign finance investigation; the Justice Department agreed to return it earlier this year and he was never charged. He also spent the cycle answering for social media posts about homosexuality and Muslims, including one he himself called "stupid" and "hurtful." Hatcher's central argument was less about scandal than output — he cast Ogles as a "show horse" who generated attention rather than legislation.

Money and maps did the rest. Hatcher raised $719,503 to Ogles' $613,135, and a super PAC aligned with clean energy interests spent roughly $2 million supporting Hatcher and attacking Ogles. Redistricting also scrambled the ground beneath the incumbent: the redrawn 5th now stretches more than 200 miles, from the Nashville suburbs down toward Memphis, replacing much of the Middle Tennessee base Ogles built his career on with voters who had never elected him to anything. Hatcher will face Democrat Chaz Molder in November.