Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps wins US House special election in
Tennessee
[December 03, 2025]
By JONATHAN MATTISE and KRISTIN M. HALL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally
watched special election in Tennessee for a U.S. House seat Tuesday,
maintaining his party’s grip on the conservative district with help from
President Donald Trump. But the comparatively slim margin of victory
fueled Democratic hopes for next year’s midterms as the party grasps for
a path back to power in Washington.
A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from
Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to
represent the 7th Congressional District.
With 99% of votes counted, Van Epps’ lead was around 9 percentage
points. The previous Republican who held the seat won by 21 points last
year, and Trump carried the district by 22 points.
Behn, who ran as an unapologetic progressive, ran up a huge margin in
Davidson County, which is the most Democratic county in the district and
home to Nashville. But Van Epps carried the rest of the district,
including many deep-red counties throughout central Tennessee, as he
tied himself tightly to Trump.
“Politicians who run from the president or abandon the common-sense
policies that the American people gave us a resounding mandate on do so
at their own peril,” Van Epps said at his victory party. “No matter what
the D.C. insiders or liberal media say, this is President Trump’s party.
I’m proud to be a part of it and can’t wait to get to work.”
Trump congratulated Van Epps in a social media post, saying he won even
though “the Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him.”
Democrats say Republicans are ‘on the ropes’
At her own campaign gathering, Behn took the stage with a burst of
energy, singing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in a western-style rhinestoned
suit. Despite falling short, Behn said the result was “the beginning of
something” powerful.
She noted that Republicans redrew the district three years ago to make
it harder for Democrats to win, and “nobody in Washington believed we
could get even this close.”
“Tonight isn’t the end. It is the beginning of a next chapter of
Tennessee and American politics — one of possibility, one of power and
one of progress for the people that we love,” Behn said.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Republicans should
be “shaking in their boots” ahead of the midterms, which will determine
control of Congress.
“What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on
offense and Republicans are on the ropes,” Martin said in a statement.
The special election drew big money
Van Epps benefited from nearly $1.7 million in spending from MAGA Inc.,
according to a memo from the Trump-aligned group, with nearly half going
toward digital advertising targeting people streaming video online. It
was the first time the organization spent money on a campaign since last
year’s presidential race, a reflection of the special election’s outsize
importance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and national Republican chair Joe Gruters
rallied supporters in Tennessee on Monday. Trump addressed a crowd at a
rally in the state by phone and later in the day held a tele-rally for
Van Epps, his second of the general election.
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Carson Baddeley and other supporters gather for an election night
watch party for Republican candidate Matt Van Epps who is running in
a special election for U.S. seventh congressional district seat,
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Chip Saltsman, a political strategist and former Tennessee state
party chair, said Republicans were slow to organize after a
competitive primary.
“In Tennessee, it’s been a long time since we thought about beating
Democrats,” Saltsman said. “It’s been a lot more important to beat
Republicans in a primary.”
“This time,” he added, “we had to pay attention.”
Republican leaders had hoped for a convincing victory to scuttle
Democratic claims that even red districts are now in play as Trump
struggles with low approval ratings and persistent economic
dissatisfaction. In addition, Democrats recently won by wide margins
in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere.
Behn had national support of her own, and the House Majority PAC put
$1 million behind her. Party chair Ken Martin visited to campaign
for Behn, and former Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a
canvassing kickoff while in Nashville on a book tour. Former Vice
President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a
virtual rally for her Monday night.
Van Epps stuck with Trump
Republican state lawmakers redrew the 7th District and two others in
2022 to help prevent liberal-voting Nashville from electing another
Democrat to Congress. Only about 1 in 5 voters in the district,
which spans 14 counties, are in the city.
The seat was vacated when Republican former Rep. Mark Green, retired
this summer. The single-race election came at an odd time to be
casting ballots, with early voting ending the day before
Thanksgiving and Election Day the following Tuesday.
Van Epps aligned with the president as closely as possible, telling
him during the November tele-rally, “I will have your back 100%.” He
won a crowded primary by a wide margin in October with a late
endorsement from Trump.
Behn focused her campaign on fiery criticisms of economic policies
that she said prioritize wealthy people and corporations, including
Trump’s tariffs and budget and spending law, both of which Van Epps
supports.
But Republicans created a steady drumbeat of Behn’s own words used
against her in television advertising, such as when she described
herself as a “radical” and made harsh remarks about Nashville and
its tourist draws.
Trump supporter Anthony Bordonaro, 37, said Tuesday that he wants
the president’s policies to move forward but pointed to those
anti-Nashville comments as extra motivation to vote for Van Epps.
“I just didn’t really like what I was hearing about the other
candidate not liking Nashville,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard, in Columbia, South Carolina,
contributed. |
