Republican Matt Van Epps was sworn in as Tennessee’s newest congressman Thursday morning, after narrowly winning a special election in the 7th District this week.
The former state commissioner’s victory comes after a campaign that was selective about Van Epps’ association with President Donald Trump.
On election night, U.S. Rep. Van Epps addressed a hushed crowd of supporters at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. In his victory speech, he thanked Trump for his support.
“Tonight, we showed running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win,” he said.
Van Epps also issued a warning: Politicians who run from Trump “do so at their own peril.”
However, in his general election campaign, Van Epps didn’t fully embrace the president. He ran two different versions of the same ad — one with a “Trump-endorsed” banner and one without. In his mailers, he stressed that he was “country over party,” at a time when the president’s approval rating in the district was 47%, according to polling from Emerson College.
A side-by-side of two campaign ads from Matt Van Epps, one with a “Trump-endorsed” banner and one without.
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.”
Trump did campaign for Van Epps remotely and ramped up those efforts before Election Day. On a telephone rally before the election, Trump hinted that his success may also hinge on Van Epps’ performance.
“I won your state by 22 points. … So, if it’s like two points less than that, they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s terrible. I guess Trump’s losing his magic,’” Trump said.
The margins were thinner, with Van Epps winning by less than 9 points. All 14 counties swung further left from last year, in a district drawn to dilute Nashville’s voting power.
Voter turnout could account for some of that shift; Democratic voters tend to be more motivated to turn out to the polls in offseason elections. However, overall turnout was on par with the 2022 midterm elections, when the margins were much wider. The Democrat in that race lost by 22 points.
A single-digit loss in a Republican stronghold has Democrats optimistic about their chances next year, when all three congressional districts that include left-leaning Nashville will be on the ballot.
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