Updated with Matt Van Epps declared winner, quotes, final results in Montgomery County.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The special election for Congress District 7 was held today, and polls closed at 7 p.m. On the ballot were six candidates: the Republican and Democratic nominees, plus four independents, competing to replace former Rep. Mark Green.
At 8:40 p.m., the Associated Press called the 14-county race for Republican Matt Van Epps over Democrat Aftyn Behn.
Montgomery County results
Van Epps won Montgomery County by 8 percentage points over Behn, 53% to 45%. For much of the night, Behn was ahead in Montgomery County, winning the Early Voting results by 3 percentage points. The race became neck-and-neck with initial Election Day returns, until Van Epps pulled ahead.
Here are the Montgomery County totals, with early voting and 38 of 38 precincts reporting; along with districtwide totals, with 14 of 14 counties reporting.
- Matt Van Epps, R: 22,994 votes, 53.32%; districtwide: 96,988
- Aftyn Behn, D: 19,548 votes, 45.33%; districtwide: 81,044
Independent candidates:
- Jon Thorp: 254 votes; districtwide: 932
- Terri Christie: 237 votes; districtwide: 610
- Bobby Dodge: 44 votes; districtwide: 196
- Robert James Sutherby: 34 votes; districtwide: 129
District 7 encompasses 14 counties in Middle and West Tennessee, with the bulk of the voters residing in Montgomery, Davidson and Williamson counties. The other counties are Robertson, Dickson, Cheatham, Hickman, Humphreys, Stewart, Wayne, Decatur, Houston, Benton and Perry.
Van Epps: ‘This is President Trump’s party’
“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.”
In a statement earlier, he vowed to be “all-in” with Trump in Congress.
Trump congratulated Van Epps, saying in a social media post: “The Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars. Another great night for the Republican Party!!!”
Behn: ‘Beginning of a next chapter’
At her own campaign gathering, Behn took the stage with a burst of energy, singing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” Though she came up short of victory, she said, the result was “the beginning of something” powerful. Republicans drew the district to be uncompetitive, she added, and “Nobody in Washington believed we could get even this close.”
“I’m really proud of the race,” she told Clarksville Now. “People feel like Washington isn’t working for working families. … I hope our congressman-elect will work for working families.
“Tonight, we’ve inspired the state,” she said. “There are so many young people who want to get involved in politics because of our race. And if that’s not a legacy, I don’t know what is. We’ve inspired the country to not write off the South, and the tide is changing.”
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National push for Tennessee race
The special election saw an unexpected surge of spending in recent weeks, flooding the airwaves and filling residents’ mailboxes with campaign flyers.
Van Epps, the Republican candidate, has been backed by more than $1 million from MAGA Inc. It’s the first time the Trump-supporting super PAC has spent money on a campaign since last year’s presidential race, a reflection of this contest’s outsize importance. House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP chair Joe Gruters rallied supporters in Tennessee on Monday. Trump addressed the crowd by phone and later held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his second of the general election.
National implications
Democrats recently won by wide margins in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere, and a strong showing in Tennessee could further embolden the party ahead of midterm elections next November.
The House Majority PAC has put $1 million behind Behn, the Democratic candidate. National party chair Ken Martin visited to campaign for Behn. Former Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a canvassing kickoff while in Nashville on a book tour. And former Vice President Al Gore, a Tennessee native, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a virtual rally on the election’s eve.
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The 7th District is one of three seats redrawn in 2022 to erode the influence of Nashville, the state’s largest city and a Democratic stronghold. Only about 1 in 5 of its registered voters are in Nashville, and last year it went to Green by 21 percentage points and to Trump by a similar margin.
Democrats say closing the gap would signal that their party has momentum going into next year. Republicans remain confident that they can defend the seat, and they hope to dismiss Democratic claims that even red districts are now in play as Trump struggles with low approval ratings and persistent economic dissatisfaction.
Worries about voter turnout
However there were concerns about turnout due to the timing, as early voting went into Thanksgiving week with Election Day the following Tuesday.
“Yeah, I’m worried. I’m just worried. I just texted with Matt (Van Epps) a minute ago, told him to run through the finish line,” said GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. “It just shows how the conservative movement is. We elect the president, and then we all go home.”
Trump held a virtual rally in November with Van Epps, a former state general services commissioner from Nashville who previously served as an Army helicopter pilot, to boost his candidacy.
Campaign accusations
Republicans have tried to turn Behn’s own words against her in television advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” or claimed to be “bullying” immigration agents and state police officers. A frequent target are comments Behn made about Nashville years ago, when she said “I hate this city” and complained about bachelorette parties.
For the most part, Behn has answered questions about those remarks by redirecting to cost of living issues. But she has responded specifically about Nashville, saying she wants it “to be a place where working people can thrive” even if she gets annoyed at some tourist draws.
Behn, a self-proclaimed “pissed-off social worker,” has condemned Trump’s tariffs and tax cut legislation, both of which Van Epps supports. She also has criticized Republicans’ reluctance to release files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Van Epps originally opposed a House vote to force the Justice Department to disclose more Epstein documents but changed his stance to mirror Trump after the president backed the measure.
Democratic allies sought to eat away at Van Epps’ base by urging conservatives to back independent candidate Jon Thorp instead. That messaging came in mailers from Your Community PAC, which has spent more than $16 million supporting Democratic candidates across the country since last year.
Jazmin Logan of Clarksville Now and The Associated Press contributed to this report.