Republican Matt Van Epps has won a closely watched special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, keeping the seat in GOP hands but by a much narrower margin than recent cycles — a result that is giving Democrats fresh optimism heading into next year’s midterm elections.
Van Epps, a military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in the conservative-leaning district.
With 99% of precincts reporting, Van Epps led by about 9 percentage points. By comparison, the previous Republican candidate carried the seat by 21 points last year, and former President Donald Trump won the district by 22 points in his last campaign.
Behn, running as an unabashed progressive, dominated in Davidson County — the most Democratic part of the district and home to Nashville — while Van Epps won comfortably across the rest of the district, including several deeply conservative counties in central Tennessee. Throughout the race, Van Epps firmly aligned himself with Trump.
“Politicians who run from the president or abandon the common-sense policies that the American people gave us a resounding mandate on do so at their own peril,” Van Epps told supporters at his victory party. “No matter what the D.C. insiders or liberal media say, this is President Trump’s party. I’m proud to be a part of it and can’t wait to get to work.”
Trump congratulated Van Epps in a social media post, saying the Republican prevailed even though “the Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him.”
Democrats See an Opening
At her election-night event, Behn took the stage with high energy, entering to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in a rhinestoned western-style suit. Though she fell short, she called the result “the beginning of something” significant.
Behn reminded supporters that Republicans had redrawn the district’s lines three years ago to make Democratic victories more difficult and said “nobody in Washington believed we could get even this close.”
“Tonight isn’t the end. It is the beginning of a next chapter of Tennessee and American politics — one of possibility, one of power and one of progress for the people that we love,” she said.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin argued that the outcome should serve as a warning sign for Republicans ahead of the midterms, when control of Congress will be at stake.
“What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes,” Martin said in a statement.
Big Spending and High-Profile Surrogates
The special election attracted substantial national attention — and money.
Van Epps benefited from nearly $1.7 million in spending from MAGA Inc., according to a memo from the Trump-aligned group. Nearly half of that went toward digital ads aimed at voters streaming video online. It was the group’s first major spending on a race since last year’s presidential contest, underscoring the symbolic importance of the seat.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and national Republican chair Joe Gruters traveled to Tennessee on Monday to rally supporters. Trump addressed a crowd at a rally in the state by phone and later held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his second of the general election.
Chip Saltsman, a GOP strategist and former Tennessee Republican Party chair, said the party’s infrastructure took time to kick into gear after a competitive primary.
“In Tennessee, it’s been a long time since we thought about beating Democrats,” Saltsman said. “It’s been a lot more important to beat Republicans in a primary. This time, we had to pay attention.”
Republican leaders had hoped for a blowout win that would undercut the Democratic narrative that even red districts may be competitive as Trump faces low approval ratings and ongoing economic unease. Democrats, meanwhile, have recently posted strong showings in places like New Jersey and Virginia.
Behn also had significant national backing. The House Majority PAC invested $1 million in her campaign. Party chair Ken Martin visited the district to campaign with her, and Vice President Kamala Harris headlined a canvassing kickoff while in Nashville on a book tour. Former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared at a virtual rally for Behn the night before the election.
A Redrawn District and a Loyal Trump Ally
Republican lawmakers redrew Tennessee’s 7th District and two others in 2022 in a way that fractured Nashville’s liberal voting base, making it harder for the city to send another Democrat to Congress. Only about 20% of the district’s voters now live in Nashville. The seat was open after former Republican Rep. Mark Green retired this summer.
The timing of the race was unusual, with early voting ending the day before Thanksgiving and Election Day held the following Tuesday.
Throughout the campaign, Van Epps emphasized his loyalty to Trump. During the November tele-rally, he told the former president, “I will have your back 100%.” He went on to win a crowded October primary decisively after receiving a late endorsement from Trump.
Behn centered her message on sharp critiques of economic policies she said favor the wealthy and large corporations, including Trump’s tariffs and his signature budget and spending law — both policies Van Epps supports.
Republicans, however, repeatedly highlighted Behn’s past comments in attack ads, including her self-description as a “radical” and pointed remarks she had made about Nashville and some of its tourist attractions.
Anthony Bordonaro, a 37-year-old Trump supporter who voted for Van Epps, said he wants to see the president’s agenda continue — but added that Behn’s comments about Nashville pushed him further toward the Republican.
“I just didn’t really like what I was hearing about the other candidate not liking Nashville,” he said.
