Republican Matt Van Epps has won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House, maintaining his party’s grip on the district with help from President Donald Trump.
A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District.
Van Epps benefited from more than $1 million in spending from MAGA Inc. It was the first time the Trump-supporting super PAC spent money on a campaign since last year’s presidential race, a reflection of the special election’s outsize importance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP chair Joe Gruters rallied supporters in Tennessee on Monday. Trump addressed a crowd at a rally in the state by phone and later in the day held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his second of the general election.
Republicans entered Election Day hoping to scuttle Democratic claims that even red districts are now in play as Trump struggles with low approval ratings and persistent economic dissatisfaction.
Democrats recently won by wide margins in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere, and they hoped that a strong showing in Tennessee could further embolden the party ahead of midterm elections next November.
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Republican state lawmakers redrew the 7th District and two others in 2022 to help prevent liberal-voting Nashville from electing another Democrat to Congress. Only about 1 in 5 voters in the district, which spans 14 counties, are in the city.
Republican former Rep. Mark Green, who retired this summer, opening the vacancy, was reelected by 21 percentage points in 2024, when Trump won by a similar margin.
The single-race election came at an odd time to be casting ballots, with early voting ending the day before Thanksgiving and Election Day the following Tuesday.
The House Majority PAC put $1 million behind Behn. Democratic national party chair Ken Martin visited to campaign for Behn, and former Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a canvassing kickoff while in Nashville on a book tour. Former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a virtual rally for her Monday.
Van Epps aimed to align with Trump as closely as possible, telling him during the November tele-rally, “I will have your back 100%.” He won a crowded primary by a wide margin in October with a late endorsement from Trump.
Behn focused her campaign on fiery criticisms of economic policies that she said prioritize wealthy people and corporations, including Trump’s tariffs and budget and spending law, both of which Van Epps supports.
But Republicans created a steady drumbeat of Behn’s own words used against her in television advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” and made harsh remarks about Nashville and its tourist draws.
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