In Tennessee, anti-Muslim Republican candidates face defeat

(RNS) — Voters in Tennessee’s Republican primary rejected two candidates Thursday evening (Aug. 6) who have expressed anti-Muslim rhetoric, one more narrowly than the other.

Rep. Andy Ogles, the Tennessee congressman known for posting memes of himself as a crusader and insisting Muslims “don’t belong” in the U.S., placed second, ending his reelection bid.

Ogles, who was running for reelection in the state’s fifth congressional district, was endorsed by President Donald Trump but ultimately lost out to Charlie Hatcher, a dairy farmer who previously served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Ogles took home close to 47% of the vote, but it wasn’t enough to best Hatcher, who won around 53%.

Speaking to supporters Thursday night, he said Hatcher “fought a great race, and at the end of the day, he prevailed.”

Ogles has developed a reputation as a controversial right-wing figure during his short tenure in Congress, which began after he rode a small conservative wave that narrowly retook the House of Representatives for Republicans in 2022.

Critics have condemned Ogles, a Protestant Christian, as a purveyor of Christian nationalism, particularly after he…