Republican Matt Van Epps has won Tennessee’s 7th Congressional seat, in a special election that turned into an unexpected battleground. Van Epps fended off Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn with nearly 53% of the vote, a much narrower margin than previous years.
The contest attracted national attention and millions of dollars from outside groups and both political parties — a departure from last year’s race when now-retired U.S. Rep. Mark Green scored a 22-point victory without much campaigning. Both parties have looked to this race as an indicator of how next year’s midterm elections may go.
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Over the course of the race, nonpartisan groups like the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections changed their ratings of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to be less red. The latter rated the district as “leans Republican.”
Cost of living became the main focus of both campaigns, as Van Epps pivoted from his primary run on Trump’s agenda to affordability. A combat veteran, Van Epps initially said in campaign ads that he was on a “new mission” to “help Trump save America.” That mission changed in the later stages of his campaign to one that promised “to bring down prices, create good-paying jobs, and lower health care costs for working families.”
As a state lawmaker, Rep. Behn, D-Nashville, campaigned on her push to end Tennessee’s 4% grocery tax — one of the highest in the nation.
In the final stretch of his campaign, Van Epps and Republican allies went on the offensive, attacking Behn’s stances on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
Van Epps benefited from early endorsements from former Rep. Green, who he will now replace in Washington. President Donald Trump endorsed Van Epps late in a crowded primary, in which the former Tennessee commissioner defeated anti-school voucher candidate Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson.
Van Epps will serve out the rest of Green’s term and face re-election during the midterm elections next year.
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