Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn on Tuesday in a must-win special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
The win preserves GOP control of a seat Democrats spent millions trying to flip.
Van Epps, a West Point graduate and former Army helicopter pilot, won the race to fill the seat vacated by former Representative Mark Green, who resigned in July to pursue a private-sector career. President Donald Trump won the deep red district by 22 percentage points in 2024, but recently polling showed it had become unexpectedly competitive in the special election
Trump called into a Monday rally for Van Epps, urging supporters to “make it a sweeping victory” for Republicans across the country.
“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they’re watching the district,” Trump said over speakerphone as House Speaker Mike Johnson held his phone to the microphone. “It’s gotta show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”
After the race was called, Trump celebrated the victory on Truth Social.
“The Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars,” Trump wrote. “Another great night for the Republican Party!!!”
Outside groups spent more than $6.5 million on the race, including the Trump-supporting super PAC MAGA Inc. that spent more than $1 million to back Van Epps. It was the first time the super PAC spent money on an election campaign since last year’s presidential race, which shows just how important the special election was to Republicans.
Van Epps served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services under Governor Bill Lee. He easily won the October special primary against 10 opponents with Trump’s endorsement and backing from Lee and Green.
Van Epps said he spoke to Behn on Tuesday night and “appreciated her call.” He dismissed concerns about the margin of victory, calling it “resounding” and predicting a GOP win in the 2026 elections.
Behn, a far-Left state representative from Nashville who first won her seat in a 2023 special election, rallied unprecedented grassroots and national support from Democrats. Democratic leaders, including former Vice President Al Gore and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, rallied for her campaign.
Some described Behn as “our very own AOC of TN,” a reference to Ocasio-Cortez. Trump called Behn a “radical left lunatic” who “doesn’t like country music — I would say for Nashville, that’s not so good.”
The 7th Congressional District is a mixed urban-rural district that includes parts of Nashville as well as affluent suburbs and exurbs in surrounding counties. The district has been represented by Republicans since 1983. Republicans have not won more than 60 percent of the vote since redistricting in 2021 moved the district into northern Nashville and added a significant Democratic population.
More than 179,000 votes were cast in the special election, a notable improvement over the primary but just over half the turnout for Green’s victory last year.
Van Epps’ victory allows Republicans to maintain their narrow 219-213 House majority. He will hold the seat for the duration of Green’s term, which ends in January 2027.