Republican Matt Van Epps, a former state official and Army veteran, won Tennessee’s Dec. 2 special election for the 7th U.S. House District, defeating Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in a closely watched race.
Van Epps secured roughly 54% of the vote — more than 96,000 ballots — to Behn's 46%, according to local outlet WSMV.
“This race was bigger than just one campaign,” Van Epps said in his victory speech, WSMV reported. “It represented a defining moment for Tennessee and for the direction of the country.”
The election filled the seat vacated by former Rep. Mark Green, a Republican who resigned earlier this year to pursue private sector opportunities, the outlet reported. Tennessee’s 7th District stretches across 14 counties in middle and west Tennessee. It includes parts of Nashville, Clarksville, Dickson, and Williamson counties.
The district has elected Republicans for more than a decade, according to data cited by WSMV. President Donald Trump carried it in 2024 with about 60% of the vote, compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 38%.
Van Epps, who served as Gov. Bill Lee’s commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, leaned heavily on Trump's backing.
“Running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win,” he said after the win. “Our victory was powered by a movement of Tennesseans that are ready for change. We are grateful to the President for his unwavering support that charted this movement and catapulted us to victory. President Trump was all-in with us. That made the difference. In Congress, I’ll be all-in with him.”
Trump celebrated Van Epps’ victory on Truth Social, writing: “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!!!”
Van Epps has said he plans to focus on cost-of-living concerns and healthcare, according to WSMV.
Behn, a 36-year-old elected to the Tennessee General Assembly during a 2023 special election, campaigned on affordability issues, such as subsidized healthcare, road improvements, and hospital funding. According to the Tennessee Lookout, she has sponsored legislation to end the state’s 4% tax on groceries and a bill to legalize marijuana.
In the final days of the race, Trump sharply criticized Behn, whom Republicans have dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee.”
He told Tennessee voters Dec. 1 that Behn had said “two things above all else that bothered me. Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music,” the New York Post reported.
According to the Post, Behn faced heavy criticism from the public for the following comments from a 2020 podcast, which resurfaced running up to the election: “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country.”
In her concession speech, Behn framed the result as a narrow setback within a large political movement that she said is gaining momentum.
“This isn't the end of our story,” she said. “It's not even close, because what we have built here in this district, this grassroots movement, is part of something bigger that is happening across the south and is happening across this country.”
Once he is sworn in, Van Epps will expand the Republicans’ House majority to 220 seats, compared with the Democrats’ 213. Two additional Democratic-leaning seats will be filled in special elections in early 2026.