Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a congressional special election in the western Nashville suburbs, which was being closely watched for signs of Republican weakness going into congressional midterms next year.
Tennessee’s seventh congressional district is normally reliable Republican territory. Donald Trump carried the district by 15 points in 2020 and 22 points in 2024. But special elections can be unpredictable, and polling placed Behn within a few points of Van Epps in recent days. Van Epps and Behn were vying to replace Republican congressman Mark Green, who resigned in July – after passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – to launch a firm to compete with Chinese business interests in Guyana. House Republicans have a 219-213 advantage in the chamber.
Van Epps, a former army helicopter pilot and West Point graduate, defeated nine other Republican candidates, benefiting from endorsements from Trump, Green and Tennessee’s Republican governor Bill Lee. Van Epps ran the Tennessee department of general services under Lee. The district, which stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, is largely rural, but also includes part of blue-leaning Nashville, as well as the city of Clarksville.
