Key Takeaways
- The special congressional election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is set to 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, with Donald Trump winning the area with around 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
- Spending in the election has ballooned, with Van Epps raising over $590,000 and Behn raising around $1 million as of mid-November.
- The outcome of the election could have implications for the balance of power in the House of Representatives, with Democrats hoping to extend their winning streak and Republicans looking to maintain their advantage.
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 vying for the seat, with Van Epps looking to hold the seat for the Republicans and Behn hoping to pull off an upset.
Candidate Profiles
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, and has been described by some state Democrats as "our very own AOC of TN," a reference to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
National Attention and Spending
The race has attracted attention from national political figures, with Trump phoning into a tele-rally for Van Epps on November 13, just as early voting began. Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris also appeared at a November 18 event in Nashville to encourage Democratic turnout in the special election. As a result, spending in the election has ballooned, with Van Epps raising over $590,000 and Behn raising around $1 million as of mid-November.
District Dynamics
The 7th Congressional District has historically voted Republican, with Trump winning the area with around 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election. 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.
Election Day and Voting
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. As of November 26, the last day of early voting, just over 84,000 ballots had been cast before the special election. The votes are expected to be tallied quickly, with the AP first reporting results from both the Democratic and Republican primaries at around 8:05 p.m. ET from Perry County, about five minutes after polls closed.
Implications and Conclusion
The outcome of the election could have implications for the balance of power in the House of Representatives, with Democrats hoping to extend their winning streak and Republicans looking to maintain their advantage. The special election marks the year’s fifth special election to fill a vacant congressional seat, 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 closely watched by both parties, with the results potentially setting the tone for the upcoming election season.