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.
Here are the Montgomery County votes, with early voting and 20 of 38 precincts reporting; along with districtwide totals. This article will be updated throughout the night.
- Matt Van Epps, R: 16,503 votes, 51.42%; districtwide: 70,916
- Aftyn Behn, D: 15,155 votes, 47.22%; districtwide: 66,568
Until final results are in, only the top candidate results will be regularly updated.
- Jon Thorp: 175 votes, less than 1%; districtwide: 675
- Terri Christie: 196 votes, less than 1%; districtwide: 471
- Robert James Sutherby: 26 votes, less than 1%; districtwide: 103
- Bobby Dodge: 30 votes, less than 1%; districtwide: 147
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.
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.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.