Chaz Molder packed Hattie Jane’s Creamery on Thursday morning in Columbia to officially launch his campaign for Congress. Surrounded by his family — including his father-in-law, longtime Democratic state Rep. Craig Fitzhugh — Molder, who grew up blocks from the Columbia town square, emphasized his small-town bona fides and took swipes at incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.
“Being a mayor provides a front-row perspective to the needs and challenges our communities face," Molder told the room. "I think Congressman Ogles, in a lot of ways, forgot who sent him there. I think he’s more interested in chasing national headlines for the wrong reasons instead of local headlines for the right reasons.”
By 11 a.m., Molder was juggling media engagements. By 1:30 p.m., he popped up on voters’ phone screens in a purple tie asking for $5 to help him “hold Andy Ogles accountable” and flip Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
Chaz Molder announces his campaign for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, Sept. 4, 2025
Molder was first elected Columbia mayor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. He launched his campaign with help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which sees Ogles as a vulnerable Republican incumbent in 2026 largely due to ongoing campaign finance issues, campaign debt and Ogles’ suffering reputation in Middle Tennessee. Madison Andrus, a DCCC regional press secretary, flew from D.C. to join Molder for the announcement.
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“ I'm a husband, a father and a mayor who's been twice elected in this community,” Molder told the Scene at Muletown Coffee Roasters between sips of iced coffee. “Our campaign is focused on bringing people together to build new coalitions and bring voters from all across the political spectrum. I'm not going to be an embarrassment. I’m going to be present and I’m not going to let people down.”
Molder also pledged to secure the country’s Southern border from illegal immigration (“a failure of both parties,” he says) and criticized the GOP’s recent “One Big Beautiful Bill” for providing tax cuts for billionaires, cutting Tennesseans' health care access and increasing the national debt. He steers the conversation toward broadly popular candidate attributes like fiscal responsibility, pointing to his track record running Columbia, and his character, promising to be an available, communicative and responsible member of Congress — an implicit dig at Ogles’ conspicuous chronic absence. Molder already expressed an aversion to certain wedge issues, like transgender rights, which, he argues, fall with state lawmakers and therefore outside the scope of his campaign.
Chaz Molder announces his campaign for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, Sept. 4, 2025
As Molder tries to bring a winning Democratic message in a largely conservative district, he appears ready to tap into the ample reserves of charisma and retail politicking that helped him win the mayor’s office. Steps from city hall, Molder easily navigated his way around the Historic Downtown Columbia Public Square on Thursday, trading banter with business owners and residents.
Ogles first won the seat by 13 percentage points over state Sen. Heidi Campbell, a Democrat, in 2022 — the first election after state Republicans drew Davidson County into three different congressional seats. Nashville Democrat Jim Cooper, who represented the 5th District for decades, declined to run after Republicans gerrymandered his seat, calling it unwinnable for a Democrat.
After surviving a primary challenge from Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, Ogles expanded his margin of victory in his 2024 re-election over Democrat Maryam Abolfazli. Still, Molder avoids calling the race an uphill battle, sketching out a theoretical victory path that draws heavily from population centers in Wilson, Davidson and Williamson counties.
“ Nashville is, in my opinion, the most important city in the entire state," said Molder. "I will have a congressional office in Nashville, and my plan is to be a voice for all of Nashville, despite the divide that resulted from gerrymandering. Our challenge here will be getting our message, which is a winning message, out to as many people as possible.”
