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2026 candidates we're tracking in TN-5
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Charlie Hatcher
Republican
Charlie Hatcher is a livestock veterinarian and fifth-generation dairy farmer who served as Tennessee's 38th Commissioner of Agriculture from January 2019 until retiring in the fall of 2025, after a decade as the state's State Veterinarian, per Gov. Bill Lee's office. He farms with Hatcher Family Dairy and says he has started eight businesses from scratch, per his campaign site and a Williamson Herald profile. Endorsed by Gov. Lee, he unseated two-term Rep. Andy Ogles on August 6 with 53.24% (36,544 votes) to 46.76%, a margin of 4,453 votes across the district's 17 counties.
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Chaz Molder
Democratic
Chaz Molder has been mayor of Columbia since 2018, when he became the youngest mayor in Tennessee and the youngest in his city's 200-year history. A Columbia public schools graduate with degrees from the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis law school, he says he has passed eight balanced budgets with no property tax increase while saving taxpayers $10.5 million, per his campaign site. Backed by the DCCC and reporting $2.6 million raised, he won the August 6 Democratic contest with 40.51% (17,729 votes) in a five-way field.
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James A. Johnson
Independent
James A. Johnson is a candidate from Memphis for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, per the certified Tennessee candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the certified list is the only verifiable source for Johnson. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Tennessee Secretary of State's certified candidate list is the only verifiable source for James A. Johnson.
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Micheál (Me-Haul) O'Leary
Independent
Micheal O'Leary, a former mayor of Culver City, California, and a restaurant and pub owner, is running as an independent for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, per his campaign site. He says he answers to no party whip and takes no corporate money.
About this race
Tennessee's 5th Congressional District elects one member of the U.S. House of Representatives to a two-year term. Every House seat in the country is on the ballot in 2026. The Tennessee primary is Thursday, August 6, 2026, and the general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.