Former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher kicked off his campaign for the 5th Congressional District on Tuesday, setting up a primary challenge with incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in 2026.
Several hundred supporters packed a Battle Mountain Farm barn in College Grove, including numerous members of the Hatcher family who own the farm.
Hatcher, a first-time candidate, said that he’s been approached about running for numerous offices over the years, mainly for Congress, and called politics “the nastiest thing I've ever done.”
He’s leaning into both his experience serving in Gov. Bill Lee’s administration with agriculture policy and his actual farming experience to set himself apart in what he acknowledges will be a tough race against the scandal-plagued and Trump-endorsed Congressman.
“It’s always hard running against an incumbent there. It's gonna take a grassroots campaign. It's gonna take a lot of work, which I'm willing to do, and President Trump, I mean, the Hatchers have been huge supporters of President Trump,” Hatcher told the Williamson Scene.
“I saw firsthand under the Biden administration as Commissioner of Agriculture, dealing with all those federal agencies under Biden, the inefficiency in the waste and the money falling from the sky, and [Trump's] turned all those things around, as well as closing the border in a few months. So he’s doing all the right things he needs, but he needs more help down there to get it done, and less talk and more action,” Hatcher said. “I'm going to be a workhorse, not a show horse.”
Hatcher said that his top priorities, if elected, would be to draft and pass an “American Food Security Act,” which he said would “prohibit China [from] owning farmland and taking that back and putting the proceeds of that into back to the American farmer,” through agriculture programs or tax credits.
He also said that he’s concerned broadly about American food security, calling it a national security issue, citing challenges and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We're losing family farms at record pace, especially in Tennessee,” Hatcher said. The data shows that we've been losing 10 acres of farmland per hour. So it's a tragic loss of family farms.
“We have to begin to slow that pace, or we have to begin to recruit farmers from all walks of life, urban, it doesn't matter race, color, creed or anything like that. We've got to begin to track those into family farming operations or start their own or we're going to be in real trouble.”
Hatcher said that he supports Trump’s ongoing international trade negotiations, specifically citing recent deals between the U.S. and China, UK, European Union and Japan.
“We have to have that correct balance of international trade that supports American farmers, and at the same time, international trade supports a high percentage or a significant percentage of every commodity dollar in the US, so they're both important to just have that right trade balance.”
Hatcher acknowledged that he and his team have been in contact with Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, who unsuccessfully challenged Ogles in the 2024 Republican Primary.
“We've had multiple conversations with candidates in the previous election, and they've been very supportive, [we’ve] gained a lot of information, and we'll continue to work those relationships,” Hatcher said.
“The Hatchers have been in the 5th district as we know it today for 206 years. I think I know the issues. I think I know the people,” Hatcher said. “I'm going to go to every county and talk with the people and go to all the events that I can and get the feedback from them, and see what really matters. … This is a long haul mission for me — I'm not a flash in the pan.”
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