Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the studio to talk about whether or not he will enter the race for the 5th Congressional District.
Leahy: Right now in studio with us, the mayor of Maury County. Wait for it … that bastion of freedom, that turbocharged engine of economic growth, Mayor Andy Ogles. Good morning, Andy.
Ogles: Good morning. It always makes me smile when I hear that.
Leahy: It’s just a fun way to start the day, isn’t it?
Ogles: It is. I was thinking we need like a theme song or something for that intro, right?
Leahy: The Maury County bastion of freedom jingle, as Scooter suggests. I think it’s a great idea. Well, my friend, lots of people have been waiting with bated breath for me to ask you the big question.
Ogles: And what question would that be?
Leahy: (Ogles chuckles) Well, let’s just put the backdrop. Yesterday, Andy, the governor signed a bill. The bill approved the new boundaries for all congressional districts in the state House and state Senate but in particular the 5th Congressional District – unless challenged in court, and I don’t think that challenge would go very far, but we’ll see. That 5th Congressional District, which used to be just Davidson County and parts of Cheatham and Dixon in 2020, that was a +22 Biden district.
It now includes the southern part of Davidson County, the western part of Wilson County, the eastern part of Williamson County, all of Maury. You live in Maury, by the way.
Ogles: That’s right.
Leahy: All of Marshall County and all of Lewis County. And a plethora – that’s a good word for today – a plethora of candidates have volunteered their services to be candidates in that race. Many of them appear to have some problems in terms of getting on the ballot.
Two carpetbaggers – my words, not yours – Robby Starbuck, who arrived here in 2019 but by his own words, says he was not a full-time resident until October of 2020. And Morgan Ortagus, the former State Department spokesperson who has been endorsed by President Trump, who didn’t register to vote here until November 28, 2021 – that would be a little bit less than three months ago – who apparently lives outside the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District. If you check her voting address, it’s a bit outside the boundaries of the district she announced yesterday on Fox and Friends, because nothing says I’m a Tennesseean like announcing your candidacy on Fox and Friends.
So you’ve got two carpetbaggers. And by the way, you’re welcome to come in, and that will be the first question that I ask Morgan. I think she’ll probably come in. Maybe. We’ll see. And then Baxter Lee, who’s got some of his own voting history problems, and Kurt Winstead, brigadier general, has announced.
I think I’ve got the right name. Natisha Brooks, who will be on the newsmaker line on Friday. So far, that’s it. Beth Harwell is rumored to be considering it. Former Speaker of the House. And the other big name is sitting right next to me, a potential candidate for the 5th Congressional District, my good friend, mayor of Maury County, Andy Ogles.
So here it is. Are you ready? Here’s the big question. Andy Ogles, have you decided if you will be a candidate for the Republican nomination in the new 5th Congressional District in Tennessee?
Ogles: I have not. Obviously, it’s something that I’m looking at, and watching the field carefully. A lot of nice folks have stepped forward to date, not someone that I would say that, to me, epitomizes who we are as Tennesseeans, and you have someone like Ms. Ortagus. And again, I don’t know her. I’m sure she’s a nice lady. She just moved here. She’s never voted here, doesn’t even live in the district, and yet she wants to be our congresswoman. I think I said this last week because I’m a bit offended by her approach.
And again, Fox and Friends, why not somewhere in Maury County? Why not somewhere in Wilson County? How about go talk to some folks and actually act as if you care about Tennesseeans? In The Tennesseean article that’s up right now, it talks about how she doesn’t live within the district and that her comment is that she’s committed to Nashville. I have news for you, ma’am: there’s more than just Nashville in the 5th Congressional District.
Leahy: Obviously, we’re hitting on this carpetbagging theme here a little bit, but she’s committed to Nashville. The question would be – and Morgan Ortagus, you’re welcome to come in and answer this question – are you committed to Wilson County? Are you committed to Williamson County? Are you committed to Maury County, Marshall County, and Lewis County? That would be a fair question.
Ogles: And so I have the luxury of having some name ID and I can just sit back and watch for a short period of time to figure out what’s in the best interest of the district.
Leahy: So an announcement may be coming one way or the other.
Ogles: I’ll definitely communicate to everyone what my intentions are. Not that me getting in or not getting in would affect the crowd. But that way everyone just knows as the field goes.
Leahy: And by the way, for our listeners, because we believe in fairness here, you are not a candidate. You have been a regular guest here on the program every Tuesday, 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Sometimes we’re having too much fun.
You stay till 8:00 a.m. when Grant Henry comes in. But the moment you announce you won’t be doing this at the 6:00 a.m. hour with us, we will treat you like any other candidate, which means we’ll give you and everybody else a fair opportunity.
We will extend the invitations right now and then the candidates can accept the invitations or not. So, Morgan Ortagus, you have an invitation to come to the program in studio.
We will bring donuts. But the first question will be, why should Tennesseeans vote for a carpetbagger who’s lived here and voted here, registered to vote here, less than three months, and doesn’t live in the district? I think that’s a fair question.
Ogles: I just want to point out I’ve been doing this for, like, a year now, and not once have you brought in donuts for me. She just moves here and she’s going to get donuts?
Leahy: (Chuckles) Andy, we are gracious to our new arrivals.
Ogles: That’s right. (Leahy chuckles) Exactly. New arrivals underscore.
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
At least the people in his district know who he is and what they would be getting. These astro turf candidates need to go back to Cali or wherever in the heck they came from.
If Andy runs and this field stays the same with the addition of Beth Harwell (ACU-86%) Andy is my candidate. If he should decide not to run, however, conservatives should see to it that these No Record Candidates who will become creatures conjured up by their campaign consultants and pollsters do not succeed in becoming our congressman. No indeed, if not Andy then we need someone else with a long proven conservative record to serve in the U.S. House. From the information we have thus far, Beth Harwell is the only one who satisfies that requirement.
So tired of hearing about newly arrived Republicans not being ideal candidates to run. Where were all of our native Tennesseans in 2020 and why didn’t someone run in the 5th in 2020? No one ran and no one stepped up, moved into the district and offered conservative options for voters.
We Literally had NO GOP candidate at all in the 5th District in 2020. Robby Starbuck committed mere days after the 2020 election to run for congress in the 5th regardless of how the lines were drawn in redistricting and said if was not in the district after the new lines were drawn he would move into the 5th – that he was 100% committed to give the 5th district a Republican option. No one else made that committment and stepped up months ago, committing to run in the 5th, even committing to move if needed. He made that committment well before anyone knew that the 5th would be designed to take in so much of Williamson and rural TN, when Cooper had not retired and when the 5th was expected to be much harder to win.
Carpetbagger – that is not just someone who moves here. There is much more to that word. A significant percentage of the new 5th are not native Tennesseans. As a party, how we will unify after the primary if these are the types of terms and negative campaign talk we hear about other candidates? How will those who have moved here feel if someone who calls conservatives newly arrived from other states carpetbaggers? Can someone who uses that term lead and unify?
What about the actual issues? Name calling is for children … focus on the issues!!! PLEASE!!! Voters deserve more than name calling and mudslinging.
Andy has shown excellent leadership and willingness to stand for conservative issues. A proven track record! So much potential. I hope we hear more about his record, his positions on the issues, his campaign promises, etc., in the very near future as he would be a favorite to win for many.
I would suggest that newly arrived conservatives will be intelligent enough to know that they are not the ones being carpetbaggers. But if the label fits then wear it.