Republican Charlie Hatcher has won the 5th Congressional District race, fending off Democratic Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder.
Hatcher is Tennessee’s former commissioner of agriculture, and his win cements Republican representation of the district. Once a Democratic stronghold encompassing Davidson County, the 5th now spans 17 counties after gerrymandering by the state’s Republican supermajority earlier this year. A special session of the state legislature in May split Tennessee’s only majority-Black district, the 9th Congressional District, three ways and significantly altered the state’s congressional map overall.
At the Tennessee Equine Hospital in Thompson Station, friends and family of Hatcher shared Puckett’s catering as they watched the results. Tennesseans did indeed “hire a farmer” in Hatcher, just as his campaign suggested.
“It has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Hatcher said ahead of the results, “but there’s nothing harder than the day-to-day work of a dairy farmer. So if I get the job we’ll see.”
Hatcher’s son Charles served as an emcee of sorts for the night. Sharonda Anderson, whose family owns Williamson County century farm Legacy of Love Orchard and Farm, sang “Goodness of God” a cappella ahead of his final remarks.
Charlie Hatcher speaks at election night party, Nov. 3, 2026
“Through it all, my faith is stronger,” Hatcher said following his win. “To God be the glory for this.”
He thanked his family, as well as “old friends, new friends, brothers and sisters in Christ.” His speech was interrupted by a call from his opponent, Chaz Molder.
“It was a hard-fought race,” he said of Molder. “I do think I outworked him, but he was a formidable opponent.”
Hatcher emphasized the importance of “reaching across the aisle to try and get things done,” especially with control of the House and Senate going to the Democrats. He named issues including cost of living, cost of production, cost of diesel and a lack of a balanced budget, and emphasized that food security is something he’ll hang his hat on.
“It’s time that this country comes together for common problems,” he said.
“They thought we would give up and go home," Molder told supporters at his election night party in Columbia. "Instead, we decided to stay in the fight because I wanted to be able to tell my kids and my grandkids that in this moment in history, I did not back down, and I will be able to do that because of the fight that we carried. We came so close to winning in a district drawn to make sure that this race would never be this close. We made them sweat until the very end, and I think there’s a lot to be proud in that.”
Hatcher defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in August’s Republican primary and was later endorsed by President Donald Trump. Hatcher also gained support from Gov. Bill Lee, former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist and much of the state’s GOP establishment.
Molder declared his candidacy in September 2025, when the 5th Congressional District still contained a portion of Nashville. He focused his campaign against Hatcher on affordability and healthcare, recently telling reporters he wasn’t planning to go to D.C. to “play political games.”
The race, like most federal races across the nation, centered on affordability. And while Hatcher at times stumbled to express an understanding of the complexity of both foreign and domestic issues, he still prevailed.