In an unusual move, carpetbagger and current candidate in Tennessee’s Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Morgan Ortagus endorsed a candidate in the Oklahoma U.S. Senate race.

In a tweet, Ortagus endorsed former Trump administration national security official Alex Gray for the retiring U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe’s seat.

“I am eager to join my friends and Trump Admin colleagues @RichardGrenell and @robertcobrien in endorsing Alex Gray for U.S. Senate! Just as he did in the White House, Alex will work every day to put America First,” she tweeted.

The GOP primary for the Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat appears to be a crowded one. GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe announced he would retire at the end of 2022 with four years left in his term, making this Oklahoma race a special election.

Sources tell The Tennessee Star that Ortagus has never endorsed any candidate in Tennessee. It appears that the first candidate that she has endorsed in any race this cycle is in an out-of-state Oklahoma U.S. Senate race. To our knowledge, no Tennessee elected official has endorsed Ortagus in the GOP primary for TN-5.

It is currently unclear if Ortagus plans to continue the unusual move of endorsing other candidates in out-of-state races. Her fellow carpetbagger and candidate in the race for the GOP nomination for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Robby Starbuck have made it a practice to do so.

Other candidates in the GOP primary for TN-5 include former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell, businessman Baxter Lee, former Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead, Natisha Brooks, Stewart Parks, and New York transplant David Vitalli.

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles is said to be considering entering the race in the future and Senate aide Tres Wittum’s entry is still under consideration.

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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “Alex Gray” by Alex Gray.