Embattled, controversy-plagued U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District is defending his record, as his challenger Maryam Abolfazli has energized Democratic voters in the gerrymandered district.
The Trump-endorsed freshman congressman touts support from U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and conservative PAC Americans for Prosperity Action, with Ogles declaring that “Republicans have to win if you want a prosperous economy.”
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In early 2023, less than two months after the former Maury County mayor beat Democratic state Sen. Heidi Campbell by nearly 14 points in the newly redrawn 5th, Ogles joined the far-right wing of the party in opposing fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy’s bid for Speaker of the House. Months later, McCarthy was ousted from the speaker’s chair.
“I stand on my record,” Ogles told Scene sister publication The News in July of this year. But that record has been called into question by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Ogles has been the subject of numerous reports noting his false statements about his professional and educational background and qualifications, unaccounted-for money meant for a children’s burial garden, civil penalty payments for multiple campaign finance violations and amended campaign finance reports. Some of those scandals led Nashvillian and prominent Republican donor Bobby Joslin to call for Ogles’ resignation just months into his term, with Joslin comparing Ogles to New York’s disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos. Even so, Ogles remains heavily favored in the red-leaning 5th — which was a reliably Democratic district represented by Rep. Jim Cooper for many years before Republican-led redistricting split Nashville three ways in 2022.
When asked about the controversies, Ogles responded, “My record stands for itself, and biased reporting from a left-leaning journalist doesn’t make it true.” Ogles was specifically referring to NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams. When asked why he chose not to directly answer Williams’ questions — oftentimes walking away from Williams — Ogles said, “I’ve addressed those issues.”
In the Aug. 1 primary election, Ogles defeated his Republican challenger, Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, despite her characterizations of Ogles as a “totally ineffective politician who’s getting nothing done” and “a do-nothing grandstander who just chases headlines.” Ogles’ Democratic opponent has echoed similar criticisms, arguing that 5th District voters — Democrats, Republicans and independents alike — have been “neglected.”
“The approach of this campaign is that, gerrymandering be damned, we are humans and we are all fed up in one way or another,” Abolfazli said at a September town hall in Brentwood.
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Abolfazli’s background includes nonprofit work and international political and economic development. She also led a series of protests in support of gun reform at the Tennessee State Capitol in the wake of last year’s Covenant School shooting. That work led to her being recognized as one of the Scene’s 2023 Nashvillians of the Year.
“A really big thing that I see needs to get done, that is not getting done, is bringing that federal money down to our district,” Abolfazli said in September. “I’m not talking about going out there and passing a new bill for resources.
“I’m talking about existing money that needs to come down here,” she continued, citing continued opportunities for funding and grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The day after Ogles’ primary win, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided Ogles’ office and seized his cellphone as part of an investigation into the congressman’s financial reporting. Ogles characterized the FBI’s investigation as a politically motivated attack on his campaign.
“Considering that they seized my phone the day after my election, it sure seems political,” Ogles told The News in September, adding that he believes the FBI “leaked” the warrant to NewsChannel 5’s Williams, who broke the story.
“If I’m not the target, they could have just waited until after November,” Ogles said. “Anything to do with my filings, we’ve corrected. We’ve gone out of our way. I hired a law firm to do a full audit of every transaction. I mean, we’ve corrected even clerical [errors]. … That’s the thing, they could have just asked me [for my cellphone.]”
“Before we get started, if you wouldn’t mind checking your table, I have misplaced one of my phones,” Ogles joked to Republican voters at a Williamson County fundraiser in September.
“If they can target me, a member of Congress, with a fancy little pin, then they can target anybody,” Ogles warned his supporters. “If the executive branch can tear down that wall between themselves and the legislative branch, then the Fourth Amendment goes away. There’s more at stake here than just my phone.”
At her town hall, Abolfazli said she is “deeply concerned” about the federal investigation, and voiced concern that if Ogles is re-elected, voters could soon be represented by a congressman potentially charged with crimes.
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“I honestly find it extremely insulting that he would take the rule of law and the processes of investigation to be a joke,” Abolfazli said. “In this country, you are not a patriot if that’s how you approach these incredible processes that keep our democracy in place.
“We need this to end,” she continued. “We need these lies to end. We need honest representation. His blowing it off does not surprise me. It’s a great tactic to make it smaller than it is, but clearly, if the FBI is after [his phone, emails and texts], there’s something there.”
Ogles insists that he’s not actually the “target” of the FBI investigation: On Sept. 3, he filed an emergency motion in federal court saying he is simply a “subject” in the investigation. The filing revealed that investigators also obtained emails and text messages between Ogles and other current and former elected officials, including Trump, during last year’s contentious Speaker of the House selection process.
Abolfazli has said that part of her strategy in the race has been reaching out to Johnston’s voters and donors.
“You can feel the energy on the ground,” Abolfazli said in an October release. “Our message is being heard. There’s been a surge in volunteers, and we are talking about the issues that matter to everyone in the 5th District.”
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