MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Primary results in Tennessee last night continue to give information about what we might expect from November's midterms. One of President Trump's picks lost his primary, and the stage is now set for the state's first woman governor, one way or another. Joining me now, Marianna Bacallao from member station WPLN in Nashville. Marianna, welcome.
MARIANNA BACALLAO, BYLINE: Thank you.
KELLY: So let's start with Trump's primary pick. This is Congressman Andy Ogles endorsed by Trump. But defeated by another conservative Republican - what happened?
BACALLAO: Right. Ogles was one of the first politicians to get an endorsement from Trump last year. Recently, Ogles drew some attention when he called for a ban on immigrants from Muslim countries, saying they don't belong in American society. That comment was condemned by many, especially Muslim groups who saw it as part of a dangerous rise in Islamophobia.
He lost to Charlie Hatcher, a former Tennessee agriculture commissioner. As a dairy farmer, Hatcher positioned himself as the down to earth alternative to Ogles, saying that he's more action than talk. For Democrats now, their pick - Columbia, Tennessee, Mayor Chaz Molder - could have a harder race ahead of him facing a candidate who doesn't have the same controversies as Ogles.
KELLY: How did President Trump respond to his candidate losing?
BACALLAO: He talked about the results on Truth Social. He's now downplaying his support of Ogles after the primary results, saying that Ogles didn't actually have a chance of winning, but that he had to be loyal to him. Trump focused on the eight other races where he says his candidates did win their primaries.
KELLY: Meanwhile, Senator Marsha Blackburn won the Republican nomination for governor, which is going to set her up to make some history, right?
BACALLAO: Exactly. Blackburn beat Congressman John Ogles (ph) for the nomination. She's represented Tennessee and Washington for more than 20 years and was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the state. Her campaign focused on opposing abortion and immigration. Here she is last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARSHA BLACKBURN: Pro-life, pro-family policies, safe communities, educational freedom...
(CHEERING)
BLACKBURN: ...A strong economy creates opportunity for every single family. And as your governor, I will not allow Tennessee to become New York or California.
BACALLAO: I'll say, her Democratic opponent is also a woman, so either way, the state can expect to have its first female governor ever. Blackburn will face Democrat Jerri Green, who's a lawyer on the Memphis City Council. She focused on affordability and equity issues.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JERRI GREEN: Tennesseans want the same basic things. They want a Tennessee where you work hard and you actually get ahead. They want to raise their families in safe communities.
BACALLAO: It's unclear if we'll see them face to face. Blackburn didn't participate in debates in her primary and often has refused to debate Democratic rivals.
KELLY: The other race we are watching there is House seat - one of the House seats that was redrawn as part of President Trump's call on Republicans to redistrict before the midterms. It had been held by Democrat Steve Cohen. He decided not to run for reelection. But another Democrat stayed in the race. Who is that?
BACALLAO: It's state representative Justin J. Pearson, who gained national attention as one of the Tennessee Three. These were three lawmakers who faced expulsion from the legislature a few years ago for protesting on the state House floor for gun control. Pearson was briefly expelled. He's from Memphis, where he's protested the xAI Data Center and championed other environmental issues in the city. He's a continuation of a trend we're seeing of progressive candidates winning in Democratic primaries.
Now, Pearson will face another state lawmaker, Republican Tennessee Senator Brent Taylor in the general election. Taylor is endorsed by Trump, and he's well-positioned to flip the district red. But there's been a shift in Democratic thinking about the race. National Democrats this week labeled the race as competitive and will be investing in Pearson to keep the district blue.
KELLY: That is Marianna Bacallao of WPLN in Tennessee, reporting for us. Thanks very much.
BACALLAO: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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