Republican Matt Van Epps has won a hotly contested special election for a deep-red congressional seat in Tennessee, NBC News projects, seeing off a Democratic challenge for the longtime GOP district.
Though President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District by 22 points in 2024, Republican super PACs poured millions into defending the seat as Van Epps faced off against Aftyn Behn, a Democratic state representative. Democrats spent almost as much trying to capture it, as Trump’s political standing has taken a hit this year and the Democratic Party made gains in November elections in New Jersey, Virginia and other states.
Still, this red district remained Republican. Van Epps, an Army veteran and former state official, ran on reliably MAGA themes and promised to continue the legacy of Mark Green, a Republican who resigned from the seat this year.
But Democrats did significantly cut the GOP margin in the district from just a year ago. With about 93% of the expected vote counted, mostly from Republican-leaning areas, Van Epps had a 7.5-point districtwide lead.
While Behn had an advantage among people who voted early, Van Epps prevailed by running up the score in votes cast on Election Day itself — suggesting Republican efforts to ramp up turnout were successful.
Republicans cheered the results, with Trump writing in a Truth Social post, “Congratulations to Matt Van Epps on his BIG Congressional WIN in the Great State of Tennessee. The Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars. Another great night for the Republican Party!!! President DJT”
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters added in a statement, “Voters didn’t just reject Aftyn Behn and her anti-Tennessee, abolish-the-police agenda — they rejected the Democrats’ entire radical platform.”
But Democrats saw Behn’s performance as a good sign for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement, calling the results a “historic” overperformance and “a flashing warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms.”
National party figures flooded into the district ahead of election Day, and the two candidates engaged in a fiery, expensive ad war as both sides saw a low-turnout, closer-than-usual race developing.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin canvassed with Behn, who represents part of Nashville in the state House. Trump held tele-rallies for Van Epps and took to social media to urge Republican voters to turn out, and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined Van Epps in the district Monday.
Johnson, R-La., and Van Epps seemed cautiously optimistic about their chances in an interview with Fox News at a rally in Franklin.
“A special election is an odd thing, anything can happen, so we take no vote for granted,” Johnson said, remarking that turnout is “often stifled” when elections don’t fall on the usual second Tuesday of November.
In an interview with NBC News in October, ahead of the primary, Van Epps said he was campaigning on “security, opportunity and prosperity” and touted Green’s work with the Trump administration on border security, saying it “serves as a good way to pick up the ball and run with it.” His campaign has also focused on the cost of living, with ads criticizing career politicians for “reckless spending” and saying costs are “out of control.”
Republican groups spent over $3.5 million in ads attacking Behn and trying to make Van Epps’ case, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. MAGA Inc., the primary super PAC aligned with Trump’s political operation, spent over $1.7 million in independent expenditures since it jumped into the race in mid-November.
The super PACs backing Van Epps worked to make Behn unelectable and persuade GOP voters to turn out to back Van Epps against her.
Super PACs backing Van Epps and conservative news outlets have used clips of Behn saying that she was “a very radical person” and that she “hates this city,” referring to Nashville. Trump got into the action, attacking Behn on social media and urging Republicans to go to the polls.
Democrats hit back in TV, radio and online ads, with House Democrats’ main super PAC spending more than $800,000 and Behn’s campaign spending over $1 million.
Behn and Democratic groups supporting her campaign attacked Van Epps in ads for saying he wouldn’t have voted for the bill to release files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Trump signed the bill into law on Nov. 21 after having done an about-face on the legislative push.
Van Epps, a colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard, plans to keep his commission while in Congress. He told NBC News in October that he’ll serve where he’s needed by House Republicans but said he’d like to join the House Armed Services Committee, given his background in the military.