Lowering household costs emerged as a shared priority for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District candidates Wednesday in Spring Hill, but Democrat Chaz Molder and Republican Charlie Hatcher offered sharply different approaches to tariffs and the war in Iran.
Molder said he would work in Congress to reverse President Donald Trump’s tariffs and end the war, presenting both steps as central to his affordability agenda. Hatcher defended the selective use of tariffs and said an end to the conflict should depend on assurances about Iran’s nuclear capabilities and influence over global oil supplies.
The nominees appeared with conservative independent Micheál O’Leary at a forum hosted by several local chambers of commerce. The contest will determine representation for a district that includes part of Nashville and extends into surrounding Middle Tennessee communities.
The candidates also addressed infrastructure, workforce development and their goals for a first term. Organizers supplied questions in advance and barred personal attacks, setting up a policy discussion rather than a conventional debate.
That distinction remained a point of disagreement afterward. Molder told reporters he still wanted a debate, which Hatcher had initially agreed to attend. Hatcher said the forum provided a sufficient opportunity for the candidates to appear together.
On trade, Molder argued that eliminating the tariffs would help reduce living costs. Hatcher described tariffs as an instrument that could be useful when applied strategically, while agreeing that affordability should command the next representative’s attention.
Their differences extended to the conditions for ending the war in Iran. Molder said bringing the conflict to a close would be among his immediate priorities. Hatcher said it should end only when the United States could ensure that Iran had neither nuclear weapons nor the ability to exert controlling influence over the global oil market.
Both major-party candidates said voters should judge their performance through constituent services and progress on policy commitments. Hatcher pledged to work across party lines while maintaining his core values.
O’Leary, a former local official in California and an Irish pub owner, argued that his independence would make it easier to negotiate agreements. He said he could help bridge divisions both in Congress and within Tennessee’s nine-member House delegation without having to answer to party leadership.
The forum came amid an increasingly expensive campaign in a district whose political makeup strongly favors Republicans. Molder, Columbia’s two-term mayor, has raised more than $3 million. Polling released by his campaign has shown a single-digit contest; those surveys are campaign-sponsored measures of the race.
Hatcher reached the general election by defeating incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles in August’s Republican primary. A veterinarian and former Tennessee agriculture commissioner, he has the backing of Gov. Bill Lee and has accelerated his fundraising since that victory.
In the latest reporting period, Hatcher raised about $970,426, exceeding Molder’s roughly $722,436. A late-September fundraiser at the governor’s mansion accounted for much of Hatcher’s total. It was the first reporting period in which Hatcher outraised Molder.
Molder nevertheless maintained an advantage in spending and available cash. He spent about $1.2 million during the period, compared with Hatcher’s approximately $322,070, including weeks of television advertising before Hatcher began responding on air. Entering the campaign’s final month, Molder held about $1.06 million, while Hatcher had roughly $752,927.
The advertising has been more confrontational than the chamber forum. A Molder ad scheduled to begin airing Thursday questions Hatcher’s attendance at rural education meetings and accuses him of failing to pursue federal assistance for farmers. Hatcher’s latest spot emphasizes his agricultural background and attacks Molder’s politics, wealth and work as a trial lawyer. Financial disclosures show that both nominees are multimillionaires.
The campaigns are also drawing national partisan contrasts. Hatcher’s advertising associates Molder with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Molder has emphasized Hatcher’s support for Trump. Hatcher recently appeared with the president at a Clarksville rally, and Trump’s political committee is spending to support his candidacy.