Republicans Hold On To House Seat In Tennessee

Republican Tennessee congressional candidate Matt Van Epps won the special election Tuesday for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, securing 81,017 votes (52.4%) over Democratic Tennessee congressional candidate Aftyn Behn, who received 71,912 votes (46.5%), with 93% of votes in, according to The New York Post.

Former Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green resigned in July, stepping down fewer than six months into his fourth term. The 7th District — which President Donald Trump carried by 20 points in 2024 — drew millions of dollars from both of the two major political parties in the run-up to Tuesday’s vote, despite Republicans historically dominating the area. Van Epps ultimately kept the seat in GOP hands.

Van Epps is a West Point graduate and former Army helicopter pilot who completed multiple overseas deployments, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later served in the Tennessee Army National Guard, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Van Epps briefly led the Tennessee Department of General Services after being appointed commissioner in late 2024 before resigning to run for Congress. He won