With four weeks to go until Election Day, a new poll shows the race for Tennessee’s 5th District within 5 points — with Republican nominee Charlie Hatcher holding 46% of voter support, and Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder closing the gap with 41%.
In the race for Tennessee's newly drawn District 5, former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in a stunning upset in the August primary
.Now in the general — ina district redrawn by Republicans to give the GOP a political advantage — Hatcher has a built-in lead over his Democratic rival Molder.
Hatcher's lead has slimmed slightly since an August poll commissioned by the Molder campaign, which found Hatcher ahead with 48% to Molder’s 40%.
Hatcher remains
ahead overall, with 11% of voters undecided as of Oct. 6 in the new poll also commissioned by the Molder campaign. Among voters who said they are very motivated to vote, the race is split with 44% supporting Molder and 44% supporting Hatcher.
Impact Research conducted the poll, which surveyed 552 likely general election voters in the 5th District via phone and text-to-web interviews. It has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
“We’ve been putting in the miles across all 17 counties, listening to people and earning their support,” Molder said. “Voters are ready for change and a new generation of leadership that will end this war, reverse the tariffs and bring prices down. I won’t be a rubber stamp for failed policies.”
President Donald Trump is set to stop in Middle Tennessee this weekend on his national campaign to drum up support for Republicans ahead of the midterms.
Most voters in the 5th District have an unfavorable view of Trump, according to the new poll. 51% of voters said they disapproved of the president, and 47% classified their view as “very unfavorable.”
While Hatcher has said he’ll be loyal to the president — andhas earned Trump’s endorsement — he's been nuanced in his approach to Trump’s policies.
Hatcher debuted a general election TV ad on Oct. 6, highlighting his business and leadership experience.
“Too many in Congress do too little,” the ad states. “Charlie knows hard work, from sun up to long after sun down. … Want a congressman to get things done and a work ethic to make Tennessee proud? Hire the farmer.”
Hatcher has a name recognition advantage, particularly in rural areas of the district where farmers were already familiar with him from his years as state veterinarian and agriculture chief. But the poll shows that could be waning.
The Impact Research poll found Molder’s name recognition has risen from 41% to 46% since August.
Molder has earned somebig endorsements, including from the Blue Dog Democrats coalition, and former U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper, and he’s drawn significant financial backing and organizational support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Molder has launched a new wave of TV and radio ads to carry the race toward early voting, touting his stance against building new data centers.
Hatcher and Molder have both said they are willing to debate, but Molder said Hatcher’s team has not agreed to a time or location.
“Charlie Hatcher agreed to a debate and now we can’t get him to confirm time, date or location," Molder said. "He says he’s a hard worker and shows up. Now is his chance to prove that, and to prove that he does what he says he will do. Show up and explain why voters should send you to Washington to defend policies that have made life harder here at home."
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New Molder campaign poll shows Hatcher with narrow 5-point lead
