December 2, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Tennessee's 7th congressional district | |||||||||||||||||
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Van Epps: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Behn: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Tennessee |
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The 2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election was held on December 2, 2025, to fill the vacant seat in Tennessee's 7th congressional district. The deadline for entering the special election was on October 7, 2025. [1] Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the general election, and will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress, which will end on January 3, 2027. The seat became vacant on July 20, 2025, following the resignation of Republican Mark Green who took a private sector job. [2] Green resigned after voting to help pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. [3] [4]
Primary elections took place on October 7, where Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn won their respective primaries. [5] The in-person early voting period ran from November 12 to November 26. [6]
In the December 2 general election, Van Epps defeated Behn by 8.9%. Democrats significantly improved their margins in the special election, overperforming their 2024 result by 12.6%. Although voter turnout was lower, as is common in special elections, it reached a level similar to what the district recorded during the 2022 midterms. [7] This marked the strongest Democratic performance in the district since 1982. [8] [9]
Van Epps was sworn in to Congress on December 4, 2025. [10]
The 7th congressional district is a mixed urban-rural district includes parts of Nashville that are heavily Democratic, such as downtown, two universities, Belmont and Vanderbilt, and most of the city's majority-black precincts. Surrounding counties, including Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, and Williamson, are generally affluent and include mainly majority-white exurbs and suburbs. Franklin, in particular, is a wealthy Republican suburban stronghold. Montgomery County, anchored by Clarksville, Tennessee's fifth-largest city, is politically mixed and slightly more competitive than the district overall. Clarksville is diverse, with White, Black, and Hispanic populations spread throughout the city, and the county often serves as a bellwether for the district. The district's rural areas are overwhelmingly Republican, consisting of eight counties that are predominantly White, and this portion helps maintain the district's strongly red character. [11]
In the 2024 presidential election, the district voted for Donald Trump by more than 22%. [12] It also supported Mark Green in 2024 by over 21%. [13] The district’s 2025 Cook PVI was R+10. [14]
The Republican primary was held on October 7, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mark Green. [15] The contest featured 11 candidates, including state representatives Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso, and Lee Reeves. [16] Matt Van Epps, an Army veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, ran on a platform of border security and the "America First" agenda. [17] [18]
On October 3, 2025, Donald Trump endorsed Van Epps, leading fellow candidate Lee Reeves to withdraw and endorse him, though Reeves’ name remained on the ballot. [19] [20] The endorsement triggered a broader consolidation of party support behind Van Epps, who won the primary with 51.6% of the vote. He carried 12 of the district's 14 counties, while Barrett won his home counties of Dickson and Hickman. [21] [22]
Four candidates contested the Democratic primary: state representatives Aftyn Behn, Vincent Dixie, and Bo Mitchell, and consultant Darden Copeland. [23] Behn, a community organizer and social worker, won the nomination with a plurality of 27.9% of the vote, defeating Copeland by 933 votes. [24] Her campaign focused on universal healthcare, rural hospital funding, and the rising cost of living. [25] National Democratic groups monitored the race as a test of progressive messaging in a district redrawn in 2022 to include Democratic strongholds in Nashville. [26]
The general election campaign was characterized by significant national investment. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson campaigned with Van Epps, and President Trump participated in "tele-rallies" to boost turnout. [27] Conservative super PACs, including MAGA Inc., spent over $1.7 million on advertising targeting Behn. [28] Behn received high-profile support from former vice president Al Gore, U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former vice president Kamala Harris. [29] In November, Harris visited Nashville to headline a canvassing kickoff for the Tennessee Democratic Party. While Harris did not mention Behn by name during her remarks, she urged voters to recognize the "power in the South" and emphasized the national significance of the special election. [30] [31]
The campaign featured aggressive attack advertisements from both sides. Republican groups ran ads highlighting Behn's past comments where she described herself as a "radical" and claimed to have "bullied" state police during protests; ads also resurfaced an old social media post where she stated she "hated" the city of Nashville and country music. [27] Behn dismissed these as distractions from her focus on healthcare affordability. [25] Conversely, Democratic ads criticized Van Epps for his ties to national Republican leadership and his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Behn characterized as a "transfer of wealth to the rich." [32]
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
| Campaign finance reports as of November 11, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Gino Bulso (R) | $757,062 [b] | $701,501 | $55,561 |
| Jody Barrett (R) | $316,907 | $255,345 | $61,562 |
| Stuart Cooper (R) | $34,653 [c] | $28,793 | $5,859 |
| Mason Foley (R) | $405,548 [d] | $391,822 | $13,726 |
| Jason Knight (R) | $41,865 [e] | $36,093 | $5,772 |
| Joe Leurs (R) | $6,604 | $17,747 | $0 |
| Stewart Parks (R) | $362,210 [f] | $358,595 | $3,615 |
| Matthew Van Epps (R) | $992,716 | $761,549 | $231,167 |
| Lee Reeves (R) | $578,854 [g] | $550,388 | $28,466 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission [59] | |||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [h] | Margin of error | Jody Barrett | Gino Bulso | Lee Reeves | Matt Van Epps | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spry Strategies [60] [A] | August 19–23, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 10% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 8% [i] | 58% |
Matt Van Epps won twelve of the fourteen counties, while Jody Barrett won the two counties he represents in the Tennessee State House, Dickson and Hickman.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Van Epps | 19,006 | 51.56% | |
| Republican | Jody Barrett | 9,337 | 25.33% | |
| Republican | Gino Bulso | 4,005 | 10.86% | |
| Republican | Lee Reeves (withdrawn) | 1,929 | 5.23% | |
| Republican | Mason Foley | 1,022 | 2.77% | |
| Republican | Stewart Parks | 595 | 1.61% | |
| Republican | Jason Knight | 381 | 1.03% | |
| Republican | Stuart Cooper | 239 | 0.65% | |
| Republican | Tres Wittum | 133 | 0.36% | |
| Republican | Joe Leurs | 122 | 0.33% | |
| Republican | Adolph Dagan | 93 | 0.25% | |
| Total votes | 36,862 | 100.00% | ||
| Campaign finance reports as of November 12, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Aftyn Behn (D) | $1,230,629 | $708,892 | $521,737 |
| Darden Copeland (D) | $591,675 [j] | $483,889 | $107,786 |
| Vincent Dixie (D) | $161,609 | $145,924 | $15,685 |
| Bo Mitchell (D) | $228,777 | $198,633 | $30,144 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission [59] | |||
Aftyn Behn narrowly won, carrying one county, Williamson County, by a slim margin. She performed well in the more populous Montgomery and Davidson counties, which helped secure her victory. Darden Copeland and Bo Mitchell each carried six counties, while Vincent Dixie won Davidson.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Aftyn Behn | 8,653 | 27.89% | |
| Democratic | Darden Copeland | 7,720 | 24.88% | |
| Democratic | Bo Mitchell | 7,498 | 24.17% | |
| Democratic | Vincent Dixie | 7,153 | 23.06% | |
| Total votes | 31,024 | 100.00% | ||
| Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Jon Thorp (I) | $7,392 | $7,332 | $60 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission [59] | |||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections [71] | Lean R | November 20, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report [72] | Likely R | November 13, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [73] | Likely R | July 10, 2025 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [h] | Margin of error | Matt Van Epps (R) | Aftyn Behn (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College [95] [B] | November 22–24, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 48% | 46% | 2% [k] | 5% |
| 49% [l] | 47% | 4% [m] | – | ||||
| Impact Research (D) [96] [C] | October 16–19, 2025 | 700 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 52% | 44% | 1% [n] | 3% |
| Workbench Strategy (D) [97] [D] | October 15–19, 2025 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.7% | 51% | 41% | 7% [o] | 1% |
| 52% [p] | 44% | 4% [q] | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Van Epps | 97,034 | 53.90% | −5.60 | |
| Democratic | Aftyn Behn | 81,109 | 45.06% | +7.01 | |
| Independent | Jon Thorp | 932 | 0.52% | N/A | |
| Independent | Terri Christie | 610 | 0.34% | N/A | |
| Independent | Bobby Dodge | 198 | 0.11% | N/A | |
| Independent | Robert Sutherby | 129 | 0.07% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 180,012 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| County | Matt Van Epps Republican | Aftyn Behn Democratic | Various candidates Independent | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Swing | ||
| Benton (part) | 1,724 | 77.24% | 470 | 21.06% | 38 | 1.70% | 1,254 | 56.18% | -5.16% | 2,232 |
| Cheatham | 7,917 | 66.27% | 3,910 | 32.73% | 120 | 1.00% | 4,007 | 33.54% | -8.94% | 11,947 |
| Davidson (part) | 9,163 | 21.57% | 32,990 | 77.65% | 330 | 0.78% | -23,827 | -56.08% | -19.36% | 42,483 |
| Decatur | 1,970 | 79.34% | 486 | 19.57% | 27 | 1.09% | 1,484 | 59.77% | -5.78% | 2,483 |
| Dickson | 9,169 | 69.93% | 3,812 | 29.07% | 130 | 0.99% | 5,357 | 40.86% | -7.28% | 13,111 |
| Hickman | 3,883 | 75.90% | 1,157 | 22.62% | 76 | 1.49% | 2,726 | 53.28% | -4.27% | 5,116 |
| Houston | 1,408 | 72.76% | 506 | 26.15% | 21 | 1.09% | 902 | 46.61% | -7.53% | 1,935 |
| Humphreys | 3,035 | 71.41% | 1,159 | 27.27% | 56 | 1.32% | 1,876 | 44.14% | -7.28% | 4,250 |
| Montgomery | 22,997 | 53.34% | 19,552 | 45.35% | 569 | 1.32% | 3,445 | 7.99% | -11.72% | 43,118 |
| Perry | 1,274 | 76.75% | 364 | 21.93% | 22 | 1.33% | 910 | 54.82% | -8.63% | 1,660 |
| Robertson | 12,608 | 71.07% | 4,911 | 27.68% | 221 | 1.25% | 7,697 | 43.39% | -4.00% | 17,740 |
| Stewart | 2,588 | 76.25% | 767 | 22.60% | 39 | 1.15% | 1,821 | 53.65% | -7.88% | 3,394 |
| Wayne | 2,412 | 84.63% | 417 | 14.63% | 21 | 0.74% | 1,995 | 70.00% | -4.25% | 2,850 |
| Williamson (part) | 16,886 | 60.98% | 10,608 | 38.31% | 199 | 0.72% | 6,278 | 22.67% | -9.52% | 27,693 |
| Totals | 97,034 | 53.90% | 81,109 | 45.06% | 1,869 | 1.04% | 15,925 | 8.84% | -12.61% | 180,012 |
Despite Matt Van Epps winning the seat, political analysts and local media noted that Aftyn Behn significantly narrowed the margin in a district that Donald Trump carried by more than 22 percent and that Mark Green carried by more than 21 percent in 2024. Behn improved upon prior Democratic performances in every county within the district and recorded gains in urban, suburban, exurban, and rural areas. [99] [100] [101]
Aftyn Behn’s strongest gains were concentrated in the Davidson County portion of the district, anchored by Nashville, where Democratic margins shifted nearly 20 percent compared to former Nashville mayor Megan Barry's 2024 performance. She carried most urban Nashville precincts by large margins. [102]
In Montgomery County, Behn performed the best in Clarksville, where she flipped several precincts mainly in the northeastern part of the city and performed well in downtown and other traditionally Democratic parts of the city. This was her only other county besides Davidson in which she gained more than double digits and marked her second-best performance in the district. While Behn did well in Clarksville, she lost Montgomery County by 8 percent, as Van Epps held enough ground in the southern and western parts of the county to win it. [103] [102]
In Williamson County, Behn made notable gains in portions of Franklin, flipping some precincts in the city. While she was unable to reduce the Republican margin in the county to below 60 percent, she still gained ground by shifting the county nearly 10 percent. Despite this shift, analysts at Sabato's Crystal Ball noted that her performance in this populous subsection of the district was relatively "stagnant" compared to the larger swings seen elsewhere. [104] [105] Her margin in the county was similar to the results recorded during the 2020 election. However, she trailed the 2018 performance of Phil Bredesen, who narrowly lost the 7th District under these lines during his senate campaign. [106] [107]
Republican advantages in mainly suburban, exurban, and rural areas across the district ultimately secured the victory for Van Epps. [104] [108]
Mason Foley Previously held position Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (Jan. 2020-Jan. 2022), Legislative Correspondent
We'll also discuss how to support our Memphis comrades during the National Guard occupation, and helping with Rep Aftyn Behn's special election campaign.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)