Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2026

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Tennessee's 5th Congressional District
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 10, 2026
Primary: August 6, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: Varies by county Voting in Tennessee
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Tennessee's 5th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th Tennessee elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of Tennessee, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Andy Ogles (R)
	Submit photo	Mike Cortese (D)
	Submit photo	Chaz Molder (D)
		Joyce Neal (D)
		Diana Onyejiaka (D)
		James Torino (D)
	Submit photo	Kenneth Brown (Independent)
	Submit photo	Lowell Reynolds (Independent)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Joyce Neal

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I was born in Omaha, NE, and raised in Clarksville, TN. I am a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I am not a politician, but I am involved in my community through numerous local organizations. I value honesty, integrity, and transparency, and I can be reached at (615) 498-7925. I served in the Army/Army Reserve and retired after a 30-year career. I was also employed by the State of Tennessee, where I managed a statewide Medicaid program. I earned my bachelor's degree in Sociology and my master's degree in General Psychology from Tennessee State University, and my Doctorate in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University. My faith and belief are in God, as he is the Judge for all humankind."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Family. Family, in my opinion, is the most significant component of our communities. Even if our family members have made poor choices, we must always stand by them.

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Honesty. Even when my candor may not align with people' views or beliefs, I think they should hear the facts.

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Transparency. I think it's critical to keep my doors open to my constituents. It is my mission as an elected representative to keep the people who elected me informed about every development in Congress.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Tennessee

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Joyce Neal (D)

Family. Family, in my opinion, is the most significant component of our communities. Even if our family members have made poor choices, we must always stand by them.

Honesty. Even when my candor may not align with people' views or beliefs, I think they should hear the facts.

Transparency. I think it's critical to keep my doors open to my constituents. It is my mission as an elected representative to keep the people who elected me informed about every development in Congress.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Joyce Neal (D)

Affordable healthcare insurance. Pre-K through 12 public education. Restoration of voting rights and the Department of Education. Women's and children's healthcare. Maintaining veterans' benefits. Government assistance for Black and rural county farmers. Continuation of Social Security for retirees. Continued/increased funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Affordable housing. A ban on assault weapons. Palestine deserves to be recognized as a State. Legalize and tax marijuana use in America.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Joyce Neal (D)

My mother was someone I admired. Her children's needs always came before her own. Her forgiveness of her children, despite their errors and poor choices, is an example I would like to emulate.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Joyce Neal (D)

Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency. An elected official must always tell the truth to the people they represent. Never should an elected official compromise their morals for private benefit. Every time a bill is presented to the House, an elected official is required to inform the electorate of its advantages and disadvantages.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Joyce Neal (D)

Anyone elected to this position must do so without anticipating favors or personal gain in return for their vote. It is the duty of whoever is elected to this position to regularly host town hall meetings and inform their constituents. The United States Constitution must be upheld by anyone elected to this position.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Joyce Neal (D)

One thing that cannot be taken away from you is earned education.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Joyce Neal (D)

I attended Saratoga Elementary in the fifth grade. Mr. Hugues was my teacher. He told us that President Kennedy had been assassinated when we got back from lunch. I was eleven years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Joyce Neal (D)

In the tenth grade, I worked as a dessert maker at a restaurant. I spent roughly six months in that role.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Joyce Neal (D)

Although I don't have a favorite book, I occasionally enjoy reading psychology journals.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Joyce Neal (D)

Superwoman, since she could fly and hear the cries of people who needed to be saved.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Joyce Neal (D)

The capacity to build close friend relationships.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Joyce Neal (D)

The capacity to develop an American budget.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Joyce Neal (D)

No.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Joyce Neal (D)

Restoring honesty, integrity, and bipartisanship in America.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Joyce Neal (D)

Yes, but there needs to be a limit on the terms.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Joyce Neal (D)

The House of Representatives should serve six terms for a total of 12 years, and Senate members should serve two terms for a total of 12 years. Homesteading should not be allowed in Congress.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Joyce Neal (D)

Jim Cooper (D-TN) was conservative in his use of public monies, and Barbara Jordan (D-TX) was a gifted orator.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Joyce Neal (D)

Yes.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Joyce Neal (D)

I would support a budget that is balanced. I wouldn't support financing for any department if it weren't designated for a certain purpose.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Joyce Neal (D)

Rumors or a personal grudge shouldn't be the basis for starting an investigation. Gaining favor with the President should not be the purpose of the House hearings.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Joyce Neal (D)

Earning my Doctorate Degree in Education.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

Joyce Neal (D)

To stop those who create artificial intelligence from defrauding or posing as people for their own benefit, federal legislation should be passed.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

Joyce Neal (D)

Legislation that would permanently prohibit the purchase or possession of assault weapons that may quickly kill a large number of people is what I would enact.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• Andy Ogles
• Chaz Molder
• James Torino

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Andy Ogles	Republican Party	$92,740	$95,255	$59,406	As of June 30, 2025
Mike Cortese	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Chaz Molder	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Joyce Neal	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Diana Onyejiaka	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
James Torino	Democratic Party	$7,733	$3,846	$3,887	As of June 30, 2025
Kenneth Brown	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Lowell Reynolds	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	9/30/2025	9/23/2025	9/16/2025	9/9/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Republican primary)

Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Incumbent Andy Ogles defeated Maryam Abolfazli, Jim Larkin, Bob Titley, and Yomi Faparusi in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Ogles (R)	56.9	205,075
		Maryam Abolfazli (D)	39.5	142,387
		Jim Larkin (Independent)	2.1	7,607
		Bob Titley (Independent)	0.8	3,065
		Yomi Faparusi (Independent)	0.7	2,580

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 360,714
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Maryam Abolfazli advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maryam Abolfazli	100.0	29,242

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,242
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Arnie Malham (D)
• Kiran Sreepada (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Incumbent Andy Ogles defeated Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Ogles	56.5	32,062
		Courtney Johnston	43.5	24,646

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,708
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Geoffrey Stokes Nielson (R)
• Thomas Guarente (R)

2022

See also: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Andy Ogles defeated Heidi Campbell, Derrick Brantley, Daniel Cooper, and Rick Shannon in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Ogles (R)	55.8	123,558
		Heidi Campbell (D)	42.3	93,648
		Derrick Brantley (Independent)	0.9	2,090
	Submit photo	Daniel Cooper (Independent)	0.5	1,132
		Rick Shannon (Independent)	0.4	847

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 221,275
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Heidi Campbell advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Heidi Campbell	100.0	30,830

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,830
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Justicia Rizzo (D)
• Jim Cooper (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andy Ogles	35.4	21,325
		Beth Harwell	24.9	15,021
	Submit photo	Kurt Winstead	21.1	12,721
		Jeff Beierlein	6.8	4,093
		Robby Starbuck (Write-in)	4.1	2,492
		Natisha Brooks	2.9	1,747
		Geni Batchelor	1.7	1,017
	Submit photo	Timothy Lee	1.4	845
		Stewart Parks	1.0	586
		Tres Wittum	0.7	398

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,245
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sarah Grams (R)
• Richie Lee (R)
• Quincy McKnight (R)
• Baxter Lee (R)
• David Vitalli (R)
• Morgan Ortagus (R)

2020

See also: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Incumbent Jim Cooper defeated Natisha Brooks and Trevor Killian Murphy in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Cooper (D)	100.0	252,155
		Natisha Brooks (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	13
	Submit photo	Trevor Killian Murphy (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	1

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 252,169
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Craig Wildenradt (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Incumbent Jim Cooper defeated Keeda Haynes and Joshua Rawlings in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Cooper	57.1	50,752
		Keeda Haynes	39.9	35,472
		Joshua Rawlings	3.0	2,681

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 88,905
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joshua Moran (D)
• Justin Bautista-Jones (D)
• Meredith Page (D)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Elijah Adcox (R)
• Anthony Adcox (R)

District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Tennessee	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Tennessee congressional delegation Voting in Tennessee Tennessee elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)

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