Democrats Target TN D-5 to Regain House Majority
🗳 Democrats strategizing to unseat Ogles · Oracle starts demo on the East Bank · Is Bredesen's appointment to the mayor's Storm Response Commission above bar? · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Will the DCCC's backing of Democratic candidate Chaz Molder help unseat Ogles in District 5?... Oracle starts demolition on the East Bank... TEMA urges Tennesseans to fill out Fern Storm damage reports... Conflict of interest cited over the mayor’s appointment of former Governor Phil Bredesen to the Winter Storm Response Commission... And much more!
Who funds your Councilmember? Checkout our new Council Watch tool. We analyzed every donation to every council member to show you whether they're funded by their constituents or someone else. Higher grades go to those who raise more money locally. (Explore)
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A look at the battleground: Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
From Megan Podsiedlik
It's a big election year, and Democrats have their sights set on Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. The seat, held by Republican Representative Andy Ogles, includes parts of Nashville, portions of Williamson and Wilson counties, and all of Maury, Lewis, and Marshall counties.
Though it's a solidly Republican-leaning district with an R +8-point advantage, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has zeroed in on the seat as a target district in the party’s attempt to undercut the Republican’s slim 218-214 House majority. Yesterday, the DCCC announced its first round of candidates named to the 2026 “Red to Blue” program who will receive extra attention and resources to help flip congressional seats.
Chaz Molder, currently the mayor of Columbia, TN, and running as a Democratic candidate against Ogles in D-5, was selected.
“Chaz was elected as the mayor of his hometown of Columbia, a city that voted for Donald Trump by double digits in 2018, defeating an incumbent Republican to become the youngest mayor in his city’s 200+ year history,” reads the release. “Chaz knows what it takes to win in tough places—he's done it twice before while Andy Ogles has never faced a strong challenger in his career.”
Molder has a history of running on unifying issues, which helped him successfully flip Columbia's mayoralty from GOP control eight years ago. Though the DCCC has named Molder its priority candidate to unseat Ogles, the field is stacked.
Molder’s strongest Democratic primary opponent is Metro Nashville Councilmember Mike Cortese (District 4), and three additional candidates are running on the Democratic ticket as well. Charlie Hatcher, the former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture under Governor Bill Lee, is challenging Ogles in the Republican primary.
Ogles’ opponents see an opportunity but seem to be pulling pages from the same playbook, highlighting the incumbent’s weak fundraising and past controversies, including ongoing investigations into alleged campaign finance violations. The battle may be uphill: throughout his tenure, Ogles has maintained strong loyalty among voters who feel the congressman has been targeted by baseless investigations due to his effectiveness. Ogles has been scrutinized about his lack of fundraising every time he has run in the 5th District, only to win with ample PAC support.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
Who bankrolls your councilmember? We analyzed every donation to every council member to show you whether they're funded by their constituents or someone else. Higher grades go to those who raise more money locally. (Take a Look)
HEADLINES
- 📄 TEMA urges Nashvillians to fill out Fern Storm damage reports so Tennesseans can get Individual Assistance. This is an important step to getting federal assistance approved. (Damage Report Form)
- 🏗 Demolition begins on Oracle Corp. Nashville HQ campus. Oracle owns more than 70 acres of land in the River North area of Nashville's East Bank that includes a number of warehouses and other industrial buildings. After five years, the company has begun the demolition process for some of the buildings for redevelopment set to finish by 2031. (Tennessean)
- ❄️ Conflict of interest cited over the mayor’s appointment of former Governor Phil Bredesen to the Winter Storm Response Commission. Bredesen is the co-founder of the green energy company Silicon Ranch, which actively does business with NES. Mayor O’Connell dismissed the claim, saying that the committee has no real authority over NES. (TN Star)
- 🚫 Country singer Charley Crockett denied entry to Canada due to felony. “I Let Y’all Down” said Crockett who canceled nine dates due to an old drug conviction. (Tennessean)
DEVELOPMENT
- Key components of Nashville West sell for $88M (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Jesse Welles @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $51+, Info
🎸 An Evening with Old Crow Medicine Show @ Analog at Hutton Hotel, 8p, $40, Info
🥁 Sofia Goodman Jazz Jam @ Vinyl Tap, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Info
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.