NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One of the most hotly contested Congressional races in the state is between challenger Charlie Hatcher and incumbent Andy Ogles in the new Congressional District 5 Republican Primary race August 6th.
Hatcher, a fifth-generation dairy farmer and State Commissioner of Agriculture, resigned his post to run for Tennessee’s 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He says people have been urging him to run for years in the old District 5. But after new redistricting lines were drawn — now including mostly rural counties — he believes he holds an advantage over his opponent.
Hatcher points to his 20+ years of experience working with state government, his track record in building small businesses, and his tireless work ethic as qualifications to represent the people of District 5. Hatcher says, "I consider myself as a workhorse and my opponent is a showhorse (Andy Oogles). I plan on getting things done. Talk is cheap and rhetoric -there's a lot of rhetoric. But, you need to look at somebody's body of work and compare the resumes. And do more of a compare and contrast -to compare my resume with his. And I think the proof is in the pudding if you look at that."
During the show, Hatcher also addresses questions about homosexuality, the Iran Conflict, Muslim-Americans, balancing the federal budget, President Trump and other topics. When faced with a controversial issue, he says to just "refer to scriptures and ask What would Jesus do?"
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