(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 posted multiple AI-generated videos of himself dressed up to resemble a crusader from the Middle Ages, complete with chainmail armor, a sword and a vestment emblazoned with a red Christian cross. His first such post, published on the social media website X, came in January, which he captioned, “We must stand and reaffirm that this is a Christian Nation.” He then posted a similar video in March depicting himself alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are also portrayed as crusaders in the AI-generated clip.
“This is a battle of good vs evil,” Ogles wrote in the post. “We must reaffirm that our nation was built on Christian principles. Join Us.”
Ogles has also repeatedly cast aspersions on Muslims. He has called for deporting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim immigrant, to Uganda and insisted without evidence that the mayor wants to “turn America into an Islamic theocracy.”
What’s more, in addition to introducing a bill in March that would block immigration to the U.S. from Muslim-majority nations — a proposal he described as a “Muslim ban” — Ogles drew widespread backlash that same month after he posted a statement to X that read: “Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie.”
Even so, conservatives have been slow to criticize Ogles for his anti-Muslim views. When asked about the post, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that while he did not approve of the words Ogles’ chose, the post reflected “popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem.”
Ogles has stoked controversy for his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights as well, such as publishing a post in June declaring that homosexuality “has no place in America.” After pushback from several Republicans, Ogles eventually deleted and apologized for the post, describing it as “stupid” and “hurtful” and saying it was posted by a staffer.
Another purveyor of anti-Muslim rhetoric, state Rep. Monty Fritts, was also defeated on Thursday, placing third in the Republican primary race for Tennessee governor. During his campaign, Fritts voiced plans to ban mosques, arguing that Islam is not a religion but a “political movement.” He also reportedly sought to ban what he called “pagan religions,” which included Buddhism and Hinduism.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who won the Republican gubernatorial primary, has distanced herself from Fritts’ remarks but also has voiced opposition to Sharia law and insisted that Tennessee “is a Christian state.”
Despite the prevalence of right-wing rhetoric infused with Christianity, the defeat of Ogles, Fritts and others comes as political expressions of the faith are increasingly garnering attention among Democrats. Hours before the Associated Press projected Ogles’ loss, Anna Golladay, a former United Methodist minister and self-described progressive, won the Democratic primary in the race for Tennessee’s third congressional district by nearly 60 points.
Golladay, who protested against white supremacists in Charlottesville and who had her pastoral license revoked by church authorities in 2018 after she officiated a same-sex wedding, is a long-shot to win the deep-red district. Even so, Golladay’s win makes her one of eight clergy, former clergy and seminarians who have become Democratic nominees running for Congress this year.
