A clean energy super PAC, Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, backed by California billionaire Chris Larsen, is spending millions to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Republican primary.

The super PAC has spent about $1 million opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, Tennessee’s former commissioner of agriculture, with an additional $700,000 in recent ad buys. The group has raised $6.7 million this year, with Ogles as a significant target of their spending.

Chris Larsen, chairman of Ripple—a financial technology company offering crypto solutions—has donated $5 million to the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC, marking his second-largest single donation after contributing over $5.4 million to Future Forward PAC in 2024 to support Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.

Ogles told Fox News Digital, "When you have a group spending roughly $2 million in a Republican primary, that tells you how much money they're making off of government subsidies, and they're upset that the government welfare has been taken away from them."

Larsen founded the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation (now the Clean Break Fund) in 2021 to direct his climate philanthropy. He is an early investor in multiple climate tech companies and funds, focusing on issues like the climate-driven home insurance crisis, bipartisan climate change efforts, and carbon dioxide removal.

Tom Matzzie, executive chairman of the PAC, told Axios, "Andy Ogles is next," signaling the group’s intent to continue targeting him.

Ogles attributes the PAC's opposition to his close ties with former President Trump, his outspoken nature, and his direct approach to political issues.

Sources