Tennessee's 5th Congressional District race between Ogles, Campbell will take spotlight on Nov. 8

Andy Ogles, left, at the entrance to a voting location
 Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Brentwood, Tenn.

By Jon Styf | The Center Square Sep 27, 2022  — Of Tennessee’s nine congressional seats on the upcoming Nov. 8 ballot, the one expected to get the most attention statewide is the newly drawn 5th Congressional District including some of Nashville.

Republican Andy Ogles, the Maury County mayor, is taking on Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, in a contest of contrasting ideologies.

Ogles is pro-life, stating "life begins at conception, and we are duty-bound to protect it at every stage until natural death." Campbell, meanwhile, believes that Tennesseans should have the right to choose abortion, saying "everyone should have the freedom to decide what is best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to abortion."

Campbell has also opposed Amendment 1 on the upcoming ballot, which would put right to work in the Tennessee Constitution.

Early voting begins on Oct. 19 for the Nov. 8 election.

Before then, Campbell has been calling for a debate. Those favored to win a race, however, are often less likely to commit to a debate as it is less likely to help their chances than an underdog.

"Voters deserve a public debate from candidates who run for Congress," Campbell said. "Families deserve to hear why he wants to defund public schools, ban abortion nationwide and increase prescription drug costs on seniors. I guess if I had to defend his ugly record, I’d be hiding too."

Ogles, meanwhile, has campaigned for more responsible government spending such as the recent $740 billion spending bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act by congressional Democrats despite the fact most Americans believe that it will not reduce inflation.

Spending has increased by $9 trillion, inflation increased by 550%, and food prices are up 13.5% under the Biden administration," Ogles tweeted. "Enough is enough! We must cut wasteful spending, strive toward energy independence, and restore the American supply chain."

Ogles has opposed Biden’s plan to hire 87,000 more Internal Revenue Service agents as part of the bill.

While Campbell won her primary unopposed, Ogles advanced through a crowded field with plenty of drama as three candidates were removed by the state’s Republican Party before the election and one of them — Robby Starbuck — received nearly 2,500 write-in votes to finish fifth in the race behind Ogles, former Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, Kurt Winstead and Jeff Beierlein.

Ogles fared best in the Maury and Williamson county portions of the district with more than 6,500 primary votes in each while Harwell nearly doubled Ogles in the Davidson County portion of the district.

Portions of Wilson, Marshall and Lewis counties are also in the district, which was redrawn this year before U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper announced he would not run for the seat after Nashville and Davidson County were split between two districts. 

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