Khaberni - American Congressman Andy Ogles achieved electoral victories in one of the Tennessee districts that has a Muslim community, despite his derogatory statements towards that important segment of voters.
American political analyst David Daley, in an opinion article in The Guardian, wondered about the secret behind the re-election of the Republican representative Ogles in Tennessee's fifth district despite his outspoken hatred for Muslims, who constitute an important electoral bloc in the region.
Daley attributed this paradox to what he considers a flawed electoral system due to gerrymandering and the domination of low-participation primary elections that allow politicians with extreme positions to gain and maintain power without broad popular support.
Ogles has continuously expressed his hostility towards Muslims, recently writing on social media platforms that "Muslims do not belong to American society," a statement that became part of a broader pattern of anti-Islam discourse in America.
Ogles represents one of the largest Muslim communities in Tennessee, estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 people, among them a large number of professionals, especially doctors who have moved to rural areas suffering from a shortage of healthcare services, in addition to a significant Kurdish community in the city of Nashville.
Ogles previously attacked the New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during the race, describing him as a "communist" linked to terrorism, and called for his deportation if the allegations against him were proven.
The author believes that Ogles does not seek to represent all the voters of his district, but rather focuses on provoking a narrow base that embraces or tolerates this type of discourse.
Gerrymandering the electoral district boundaries
Ogles maintained his electoral position thanks to redrawing the boundaries of the fifth district in Tennessee before the 2022 elections so that parts of it were merged with more conservative rural areas, thereby turning the district into a safe seat for the Republicans.
As a result, Republican primaries in the district became the decisive battle instead of the general elections. In those primaries, around 60,000 voters participated, and Ogles won with over 35% of the votes, approximately 21,000 votes in a district that includes about 760,000 residents.
This means that he reached Congress with the support of about 4% of the district's population. Daley emphasizes that this reality allows candidates to win by appealing to a small, highly committed ideological faction instead of earning the support of the majority.
This system explains, according to Daley, how Ogles can make hostile statements against Muslims without facing serious electoral consequences because his political survival does not depend on full representation of the district, including its religious and ethnic minorities, but on maintaining support from a specific ideological base.
The article lists a series of controversial issues that Ogles has been involved in, including scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional ethics committees regarding allegations related to his campaign financing, while journalists have documented contradictions in his biography, yet his electoral position remains substantially unaffected.
Call for electoral system reform
Daley concluded that Ogles' anti-Muslim statements are not just an individual deviation but a logical outcome of political incentives within an electoral system that fosters political polarization and rewards extremist discourse, urging candidates to polarize the most ideologically committed bases rather than building broader and inclusive alliances.
To break out of this impasse, the author calls for reforms including adopting a preferential voting system in primaries and expanding proportional representation in the House of Representatives through multi-member districts, thereby ensuring that candidates receive broader support that better reflects the diversity of voters.
Daley warned that without structural reforms to widen participation, American politics will continue to produce electors who ignore parts of their constituents, such as the Muslims in Ogles' district, with them remaining in their positions without effective accountability.
