Representative Andy Ogles, a hard-line Tennessee Republican who has faced backlash over anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, lost his primary to Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, in the Fifth Congressional District, The Associated Press said on Thursday.
Mr. Ogles’s loss is seen as an upset despite the controversy he has courted over his two terms in Congress. He had secured President Trump’s endorsement, as well as backing from several prominent conservative groups.
But Mr. Ogles was running in a new congressional district after Republicans redrew the lines during the fallout from the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The district, which once included part of Nashville, now stretches from a cluster of suburbs outside the city west to parts of Memphis.
Mr. Hatcher, a longtime dairy farmer, had also won support from some notable establishment Republicans in the state, including the outgoing governor, Bill Lee. Besides urging voters to “hire a farmer,” Mr. Hatcher had taken care to emphasize his support for Mr. Trump, even without his endorsement.
At an election party on Thursday, Mr. Hatcher told reporters he would continue “meeting people where they are, working our tails off — this ragtag team of mine has been pretty successful.”
He had been buoyed by outside spending from a super PAC, the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition. The group, funded by renewable energy developers, has spent $2 million since mid-July.
The district “just proved once again that standing in the way of America’s energy future comes with a hefty political price,” said Tom Matzzie, chairman of the coalition, in a statement. He added, “we will continue to punish members of either party who want to play politics with American jobs, energy security, and utility prices.”
Mr. Ogles had escalated his campaign in recent weeks, unveiling endorsements from high-profile conservative lawmakers and accusing the group of trying to “buy” his seat. He also noted that Mr. Hatcher, who had declared his candidacy before the new district lines were drawn, saw his farm drawn just outside the district under the new map.
But the brewing frustration with Mr. Ogles’s inflammatory comments and hard-line stances remained. And he had limited time to introduce himself to a new district.
At a restaurant in Spring Hill, Tenn., decorated with American flags, Mr. Ogles’s supporters and staff increasingly paced or checked incoming results on their phones.
Just after The Associated Press called the race, Mr. Ogles walked in to a standing ovation and spoke for just under a minute.
Mr. Hatcher “fought a great race, and at the end of the day, he prevailed,” Mr. Ogles said, adding that he had offered his congratulations and pledged his help with a seamless transition. He walked around the room to embrace his family and those present, some of whom had tears in their eyes.
“God has a plan,” he told one woman.
Mr. Hatcher is now set to face Mayor Chaz Molder of Columbia, the Democratic candidate. Privately, some Democrats had wondered whether Mr. Ogles would be an easier opponent to defeat in the general election. The district is widely seen as a safely Republican seat.
