Ogles, Johnston make their pitch in rural Marshall County on eve of early voting

• The Republican primary for the seat is on Aug. 1.
• The 5th Congressional District includes parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties and all of Lewis, Marshall and Maury counties.

LEWISBURG ― In a rare meeting in the 5th District Congressional primary, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and his challenger Nashville Metro Council member Courtney Johnston both made their pitch to Marshall County Republicans at their annual dinner in Lewisburg on Thursday night.

While both have campaigned voraciously in recent weeks, the event was one of the few this cycle that they’ve made their pitch to the same room. Afterward, voters told The Tennessean their support for Ogles was solidified, though several quietly left the building carrying signs for Johnston.

On Thursday, about 230 people gathered at the Lewisburg Parks and Recreation facility, an 80 minute drive south of Nashville, for a fried chicken dinner, door prizes — which included four handguns — and speeches from state and federal elected officials.

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, drove over from East Tennessee to headline the night, and state Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, and Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, also spoke. Trump hats and flags were on sale in the back for $10.

“The mayor just called, and asked all the politicians to please park their cars on the left side of the parking lot,” Marshall County GOP Chair Craig Blackwell joked, kicking off the evening with a hearty laugh from the crowd.

Johnston was a new face for many in the room, as she has worked to build name recognition in rural counties outside of Nashville and its suburbs where she better known. Introducing herself, Johnston touted her work fighting tax hikes and securing resources for police while being "completely outnumbered" as a conservative on the 40-seat progressive Metro Council. The crowd listened politely. Ogles scrolled on his phone.

"I think we deserve at a baseline level to be represented by people with a heart for public service, that want to make a difference, that have character, integrity, and the ability to tell the truth," Johnston said. "We have to trust who is representing us."

Ogles has made headlines for misrepresenting a $320,000 loan he reported to the federal election commission for two years that he later admitted was never available in his campaign account. He instead called it a pledge to self fund if needed. He has also drawn national criticism for misrepresenting his resume.

Just over 10 miles from his farm, it's Ogles’ home turf. He won the county with 37% of the vote in a crowded 2022 primary.

“How many people miss Donald Trump? I said, how many people miss Donald Trump?” Ogles yelled as he went onstage, to cheers from the crowd. "I was the first member of Congress that Donald Trump endorsed for 2024. I have a relationship with the president, and I can tell from my conversations with him that he's ready for the job."

Ogles invoked the former president's name 10 times during his 8-minute speech as he touted his efforts to help secure the Southern border and cutting government spending — primarily by introducing 131 pieces of legislation, though only 4 have been referred to committee so far.

Ogles told the crowd that while his legislation has not yet moved forward, it is important because it will be taken up when Trump gets back in the White House.

Ogles also touted his new bill to allow the death penalty for unlawful migrants who assault, rape, or kill U.S. citizens — which earned him a big round of applause from the room.

Several attendees said their views on the race were solidified by Ogles’ remarks.

"I'm impressed with what our existing congressman has done for us," voter Jack Cathey told The Tennessean. "I support him and the job he's doing."

“When we go into January, and we have the White House, we have the Senate, and we have the House of Representatives, we've got to get it done," he said. "You're going to see a lot of executive orders by the President. We're going to start rolling back all this nonsense from Joe Biden. You're going to see this legislation that we're putting forward start coming to the Senate."

Ogles declined to speak to The Tennessean at the event, directing the reporter to contact his press secretary. Ogles' Congressional office and campaign team have not responded to interview requests from The Tennessean for several weeks.

In a straw poll held at the end of the evening, Johnston earned 27 votes to Ogles’ 155. Ogles held a fundraiser with Burchett at a donor’s home in Lewisburg immediately before the event, and many attendees came directly over, still wearing their nametags from the other event. Last month, Ogles operatives recruited attendees to the Davidson County Republican Party Picnic to pack the straw poll held there, the Tennessee Journal reported.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her atvjones@tennessean.com or on X @Vivian_E_Jones.