Key Takeaways
- The special congressional election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District will take place on Tuesday, with Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn vying for the seat.
- The election is seen as a test for both parties heading into the 2026 midterm season, with House Republicans looking to hold the seat and pad their narrow advantage in the chamber.
- The district has historically voted Republican, but Democrats are hoping to pull off an upset and extend their winning streak.
- The election has attracted attention from national political figures, including Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and has seen significant spending from both candidates.
- The outcome of the election will be closely watched, with the Associated Press providing vote results and declaring a winner when it is determined that there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidate to close the gap.
Introduction to the Special Election
The special congressional election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is set to take place on Tuesday, marking the next test for both parties heading into the 2026 midterm season. The election is being held to replace former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned in July to join the private sector. Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn are the nominees, with Van Epps looking to hold the seat for the GOP and Behn hoping to pull off an upset for the Democrats.
The Candidates
Van Epps is a West Point graduate and former Army helicopter pilot who headed the Tennessee Department of General Services under Republican Gov. Bill Lee. He easily won the October special primary against 10 opponents, with endorsements from both Trump and Green. Behn, on the other hand, is a state representative first elected in a 2023 special election. She narrowly won a four-way Democratic primary, with some state Democrats describing her as "our very own AOC of TN," a reference to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
National Attention and Spending
The election has attracted attention from national political figures, with Trump phoning into a tele-rally for Van Epps on November 13 and Kamala Harris appearing at a November 18 event in Nashville to encourage Democratic turnout. As a result, spending has ballooned, with Van Epps raising an additional $590,000 and Behn raising about $1 million as of mid-November. The significant spending and national attention have made the election a high-profile matchup, with both parties looking to make a statement heading into the 2026 midterm season.
The District and Voting History
The 7th Congressional District has historically voted Republican, with Trump carrying the district in 2024 with about 60% of the vote. However, the district also includes parts of heavily Democratic Davidson County, which is home to Nashville. The Nashville area once anchored a separate congressional district favorable to Democrats, but state Republicans redrew the lines in 2022 and divided Davidson County among the 7th and two neighboring Republican-friendly districts. The district’s voting history and demographics make it a challenging but potentially competitive race for the Democrats.
Election Day and Turnout
The special election will be held on Tuesday, with polls in the district closing at 7 p.m. local time. Any voter registered in the 7th Congressional District may participate in the special election. Turnout in the congressional race was about 69% of registered voters in the 2024 presidential election year and about 41% in the 2022 midterm elections. As of November 26, the last day of early voting, just over 84,000 ballots had been cast before the special election. The vote count is expected to be completed quickly, with the Associated Press providing vote results and declaring a winner when it is determined that there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidate to close the gap.
Conclusion and Looking Ahead
The special congressional election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is a significant test for both parties heading into the 2026 midterm season. The outcome of the election will be closely watched, with the Associated Press providing vote results and declaring a winner when it is determined that there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidate to close the gap. The election marks the fifth special election to fill a vacant congressional seat this year, with additional vacant seats to be filled in Texas and New Jersey in the coming months. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the outcome of this special election will be seen as a bellwether for the parties’ chances in the upcoming elections.
