Affordability Takes Center Stage in 5th Congressional District Race

Fifth Congressional District candidates, Republican Charlie Hatcher and Democrat Chaz Molder, are in general election mode following their respective primary wins, with affordability being front of mind for both candidates and voters.

Hatcher, the former state commissioner of agriculture, defeated controversial Trump-endorsed incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.

The day after the election, Trump threw his support behind Hatcher in a social media post where he said that Ogles had “had virtually no chance of winning” the primary.”  

Hatcher told the Williamson Scene that he has not spoken to the president, but has spoken with U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). Molder did not directly answer if he has been in communication with any Democratic Party House leadership.

Hatcher said that winning the high-profile primary “was kind of an out-of-body experience” in what the first-time candidate characterized as a “long, hard road on the campaign trail,” which now enters the general election.

“My wife and I were traveling 12 to 17 hours a day, a couple times a week around the district, and we went to every county. It just seemed like we were one of them, and they understood that I was one of them, and [I] understood the issues,” Hatcher said. “I'm not going to let any kind of power go to my head.”

Hours after his primary win, Hatcher was targeted in a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) email, the campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. The ad argued that he “would be a rubber-stamp for a cost-spiking, health care slashing agenda in Congress.”

Hatcher called the claims, “a bunch of baloney.”

“I'm gonna run this campaign for the general election just like we did for the primary. That's gonna be grassroots. I'm gonna run like I'm 10 points down. I'm not gonna take anything for granted, and that's been our recipe for success this last time. Everything has to pass the common sense test, and everything should also pass what I believe that the Bible says, what I believe the Constitution says, and what I believe the Declaration of Independence says.”

Ogles’ numerous scandals clearly made him the most vulnerable Republican candidate, something identified by both the national Democratic Party and by Hatcher and his backers, but Molder, the current mayor of Columbia, told the Williamson Scene that his new Republican opponent doesn’t change his campaign’s tactics.

“This campaign has never been about running against one person. It's been about giving voters an opportunity to vote for something that is important to them,” Molder said. “We're talking about issues that matter.”

Molder called Hatcher a “nice man,” but said that the district “is going to require someone who really has the energy and enthusiasm to travel across this district to meet with voters where they are, and to be a congressman that can be a voice for all of them,” something that Hatcher argues that he is also doing.

Both Hatcher and Molder said that affordability — especially the rising prices of gas, food and other cost-of-living expenses — is among their top issues.

“If you're driving a pickup truck and your tank's empty, you're talking about $100 worth of fuel or more, and then you got the price of groceries and childcare and your mortgage and rent, and you've got people being just squeezed,” Hatcher said. “There's people all over the district that are working two or three jobs and still can't make ends meet, and it's the same way in a small business too. We're in a tough situation here.”

Hatcher also noted investing in infrastructure, addressing energy costs, reducing the size of the federal government and enhancing food security as other priorities.

Hatcher acknowledged that some of those cost-of-living increases are directly related to the ongoing war with Iran, a war that was launched in February solely by President Trump, which Hatcher supports.

“I believe when they [Iran] say death to America, they mean it,” Hatcher said. 

He argued that the US should prevent Iran from producing a nuclear weapon and controlling the Strait of Hormuz, while also advocating for a quick end to the conflict.

“You're right, inflation, cost of prices, cost of production is totally tied to the war,” he said. “We need to close it down, but we've got to do it right, and make sure we don't mess that up.”

While the war was promoted by the president as a weeks-long military operation, it has continued into its sixth month, also resulting in the deaths and injuries of numerous U.S. service members.

Molder expressed opposition to the war. 

“I don't think that that there's been justification for the war as we currently know it, and I think that as a member of Congress, I would have an obligation to understand why we're in the war, and equally as important to explain to the people of this district why we're in it and what the strategy is, and right now, we've not had that from the administration,” Molder said.

The day after the primary election, Molder set out on a 72-hour campaign blitz across all 17 counties in the newly redrawn district, including Williamson County, where his campaign has established its headquarters on the historic public square.

“We know Franklin is an important part of this district and an important part of our success,” Molder said.

Another top issue for Molder is ensuring quality and affordable healthcare, as well as addressing tariffs that he says are hurting farmers and small businesses. 

Following his return to the White House, Trump enacted a slew of tariffs, including against key allies, actions which have resulted in rising costs for businesses and consumers, as well as some lawsuits from small businesses and states, and the weakening of some international relationships.

Hatcher argues that tariffs are “a tool in the toolbox to bring the [foreign] countries to the table, so we can negotiate, and then we can have fair and balanced trade.”

“Being the mayor of Columbia, I've had a front-row seat to problems that actually matter,” Molder said. “I know that people are struggling. People are having to make choices between buying groceries and paying their rent check, and right now, we have just a lot of chaos and corruption in Washington, D.C. that seems to be working against us instead of working for us.”

Both Hatcher and Molder said that if elected, they hope to serve on the House Committee on Agriculture.

“That agriculture committee influences farm policy, whether it be the farm bill that has an impact on our farmers, or also some of the federal food SNAP benefits for young children. I happen to believe that you know children shouldn't go to bed hungry at night in this country,” Molder said, adding that he was “deeply disappointed” that Gov. Bill Lee declined federal food assistance for children earlier this year.