March 24th, 2026 Len’s Political Note #799 Chaz Molder Tennessee 05
2026 General Election
Chaz Molder
Jeff Jacoby, a conservative columnist for the Boston Globe, lit into Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles: “Ogles is just another in a long line of haters eager to go viral by whipping up hostility against a disfavored faith. … while the first sentence of Ogles’s post is vile, it is the second that reveals the depths of his malignant worldview.”
What did Ogles say? “Muslims don’t belong in American society……Pluralism is a lie.” And Jacoby’s comment? “Ogles isn’t merely maligning Muslims. He is repudiating the foundational idea of American nationhood. E Pluribus Unum …. .“Out of many, one””. Jacoby explained the Latin phrase was the first motto of the United States of America. He cited American historical figures, including southerners, who were devoted to religious freedom and diversity.
Andy Ogles has a primary opponent and several Democratic opponents. HIs primary opponent Charlie Hatcher headlines his own campaign: “ Pro-gun, Pro-Life, Pro-Trump. Farm Strong.” If he defeats Ogles and wins the general election, the voters of Tennessee 05 will have made a modest improvement.
Can a Democrat defeat either Andy Ogles or Charlie Hatcher? In 2022 and 2024, Ogles’ victories were by 13.5 points and 17.5 points.
Democrats have won something like 10 special elections. The typical Democratic improvement over the 2024 general election has been about 13 points. Defeating Ogles would be a stretch, but not impossible. Andy Ogles recent comments about Moslems are not the only reason he should be targeted for defeat. Andy Ogles is not who he says he is.
- Ogles misleads about his undergraduate schooling, claiming he majored in economics. Not so. He also claims to have majored in international relations. Not that either. He took one economics class and a few political science courses, some of which he passed. He received a Liberal Studies degree.
- Ogles misleads about his work as an economist. He claimed to be a nationally recognized expert on tax policy and health care. Not so. He was a lobbyist. And for a year, he was executive director of the Laffer Center. Although his duties were administrative, the executive director of a Center named for Arthur Laffer, the inventor of the Laffer Curve, does get to claim to have been economist adjacent.
- Ogles misleads about his work in law enforcement, especially addressing human trafficking and to have been the COO of Abolition International. Not so for the law enforcement. He was a volunteer reserve deputy sheriff. The sheriff’s office Ogles claims to have worked in has no records of his being trained for or working on human trafficking. The office does have a record of revoking Ogles’ volunteer role because he did not fulfill the requirements for this unpaid job. With regard to Abolition International, there is a record of him serving for a short time at this organization which has, as its purpose, awarding grants to “holistic ministries.”
- Nashville’s Channel 5 suggested Ogles behavior resembled the behavior of former Congressman George Santos of New York 03.
The Democrats have a serious Ogles opponent in Chaz Molder. There are no polls. There are financial reports. Chaz Molder’s $1 million Cash on Hand as of January 1 outstrips all of the other Democrats and is much more than Andy Ogles’ $60,000.
Eight years ago in March, Chaz Molder was running to become mayor of Columbia, Tennessee. His victory in Columbia, a city of nearly 50,000 people, two-thirds of whom are white and one-sixth of whom are Black, made something of a boy wonder. When Chaz Molder was elected, he was the youngest mayor in the state.
Chaz Molder’s campaign website claims he “has earned a reputation for bringing people together to solve problems. He’s passed seven balanced budgets with no property tax increases, while simultaneously investing in education and public safety. He also made critical infrastructure investments, while saving taxpayers $10.5 million through strong fiscal management. Chaz also formed Columbia Mayor’s Youth Council to help inspire the next generation to make a positive impact in their hometown.”
Chaz Molder’s particular success, in addition to minimizing divisions within his small city, were his work revitalizing downtown Columbia and his work in public safety. He has been a builder, a builder who found ways to support that building while minimizing the use of local taxpayer funds. The new wastewater treatment plant was paid for, in part, by creating a fee for new wastewater connections. The Downtown Improvement Grant called for matching private funds for each project. The new downtown housing project was a public/private partnership. Businesses that were beneficiaries of the grant were encouraged to more than meet their grant obligation. He expresses pride in the construction of new sidewalks, the construction of a new fire station, and an award the city received for sound fiscal management and fiscal transparency.
If you Google search Chaz Molder scandal, the closest you get to an actual scandal is a federal lawsuit by public works department administrative assistant Christy Daus who complained that her first amendment rights were violated. At a city council public meeting, she opposed the approval of an apartment development on property near where she lived. Shortly after her public testimony, she complained, the city’s Human Resources department scheduled a meeting with her during which she was accused of misconduct and they “signaled that her continued employment could be affected by her participation in public discourse.”
Mayor Chaz Molder was included among those the complaint targeted which also included the city manager, the human resources manager, and the City as a whole. Chaz Molder had his own issue with the city council. He called for an ethics investigation when it became apparent that someone had made Christy Daus’s home address public.
This first amendment complaint does not do much damage to Columbia’s reputation as the idyllic community Chaz Molder had been creating. Nor did the release of Christy Daus’s home address lead to any adverse consequences.
Columbia, however, was hardly idyllic during the past hundred years. Do not presume that the city is idyllic even now. A music video filmed in 2023 in front of the county court house in Columbia was called “Try That in a Small Town.” The creator of the video was accused of expressing support for lynching, in part, because the court house it featured was the site of a lynching in 1927. In 1946, Columbia was the site of a race riot during which four white local police were wounded and state police attacked and ransacked the Black neighborhood killing two Black men and wounding a third. More than a 100 Blacks were arrested, 25 were charged with attempted murder and, in a neighboring town, were tried by an all-white jury. The defense was organized by Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP and led by two Nashville attorneys. “Surprisingly,” according to Samuel Momodu in a 2019 article retelling these events, all but two were acquitted and charges were later dropped against those two.
Chad Molder’s success in creating a unified community in Columbia did not include a specific effort at reconciliation between the whites and Blacks of the city. His election as mayor, defeating an incumbent, offered an opportunity to get people to work together and he took it.
Right now, Tennessee has only one Democratic Member of Congress. He represents Memphis. Chaz Molder’s election would add a different voice from Tennessee, the kind of voice Democrats need if the party is to make inroads into the south and return to being the country’s majority party. DONATE to Chaz Molder’s campaign.
Campaigns in Tennessee’s Neighboring States. Tennessee borders Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri:
Take a look:
Kentucky
US Senate: Appointed by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear as head of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement Charlie Booker v far right Congressman Andy Barr is the probable match up. DONATE TO Charlie Booker’s campaign he is a long shot.
Virginia:
Congressional campaigns
VA 02 Former moderate Congresswoman Elaine Luria v Incumbent Jen Kiggans who has been a Trump follower. DONATE to Elaine Luria’s campaign. See Len’s Political Note #780. Flip this seat back to the Democrats.
VA 05 If Virginia’s redistricting referendum passes: Prosecutor Shannon Taylor v. Incumbent and Former Navy SEAL John McGuire. DONATE and flip this seat.
North Carolina
US Senate: Ex Governor and ex state Attorney General Roy Cooper v. Donald Trump-endorsed, former chair of the Republican national party chair Michael Whatley. DONATE to Roy Cooper See Len’s Political Note #744. Flip this seat and begin flipping the US Senate.
NC 01 Inc Don Davis v Businesswoman Laurie Buckhout. See Len’s Political Note #721. DONATE to Don Davis’s campaign. Keep this seat Democratic despite the state legislature’s effort for a further gerrymander to oust this Democratic Black Member of Congress.
NC 11. Farmer and grandson of a congressman Jamie Ager v {should I say feckless?) Inc Chuck Edwards. DONATE to Jamie Ager. See Len’s Political Note #783
NC Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Anita Earls, who is a voice for democracy and civil rights v Speaker Pro Tem of the NC House Sarah Stevens. DONATE to Anita Earls campaign. See Len’s Political Note #787.
Georgia
US Senate: Inc Jon Ossoff, becoming a leader figure in what the South should be v gun-toting Congressman Mike Collins See Len’s Political Note #713 Keep this seat.
Governor: Ex-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms v the Republican nominee. See Len’s Political Note #777. Flip this seat
Georgia Supreme Court: (This is a May 19 election – so help out now). Former State Senator Jen Jordan and personal injury attorney Sha Miracle Rankin are running against two incumbents in the currently all Republican Georgia Supreme Court. Donate to Jen Jordan. Donate to Sha Miracle Rankin. Make a difference for those seeking justice in Georgia. See Len’s Political Note #794
Georgia 14 Special election run off. (This is even sooner. On April 7th – so help out yesterday). Democrat Retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris v Trump-endorsed DA Clayton Fuller. DONATE TO Shawn Harris today and replace Marjorie Taylor Greene with a Democrat.
Alabama
Governor: Ex Senator and ex Prosecutor Doug Jones v Inc Senator and ex football coach Tommy Tuberville. DONATE to Doug Jones. See Len’s Political Note #.779 Flip this seat. Bring some change to Alabama.
Mississippi
US Senate: District Attorney Scott Colom v Inc Cindy Hyde-Smith. This race features a Black DA elected in a majority white district (in Mississippi, I should emphasize) v the Senator who blocked his nomination as a federal judge. DONATE to Scott Colom. See Len’s Political Note #764. Flip this seat. Bring some change to Mississippi.
Mississippi 03. Farmer and New Jersey native Michael Chiaradio v Inc Michael Guest, a Sunday School teacher and chair of the House Ethics Committee. DONATE to Michael Chiaradio. Flip this seat.
Arkansas
US Senate. Farmer and Blogger Hallie Shoffner v sharp-elbowed IncumbentTom Cotton. DONATE to Hallie Shoffner. See Len’s Political Note #786. If we flip this seat, we will be winning a clear majority in the Senate.
Arkansas 02. Innovation Hub Director Dr. Chris Jones (his doctorate is from MIT). v. Incumbent French Hill, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, who has been blocking the Senate Housing bill, apparently because he is dissatisfied with the proposal to prohibit corporate ownership of single family homes. DONATE to Chris Jones campaign. Flip this seat
Missouri
Missouri 02. Veterans’ Advocate Fred Wellman v. Inc Ann Wagner. Fred Wellman has been pressing the case that Wagner made money from her Congressional role. DONATE to Fred Wellman. See Len’s Political Note #772
Missouri 05. Inc Emanuel Cleaver v Republican nominee DONATE to Emanuel Cleaver. Keep this seat Democratic despite the Republican gerrymander effort to eliminate another seat filled by a Black Member of Congress. A win here would require popular resistance to the gerrymander.
