Republicans work to defend a deep-red House district in expensive Tennessee special election
General elections for former Rep. Mark Green’s congressional seat in Middle Tennessee have been sleepy, safely Republican affairs. But Tuesday’s special election for the district west of Nashville has turned into a more contested campaign, even though President Donald Trump carried it by 22 points in 2024.
National party figures and big money are pouring into parts of Nashville and the counties to the south and west that make up the 7th Congressional District, which was represented by Green until the Republican resigned earlier this year. Trump joined GOP nominee Matt Van Epps for a tele-rally, while former Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin have canvassed with the Democrat, state Rep. Aftyn Behn.
And the ad war between Van Epps and Behn has gotten more heated by the day, with about $6 million in candidate and super PAC spending, according to AdImpact. The leading super PAC in Trump’s political orbit and the main super PAC supporting House Democrats have both spent heavily.
Though the district leans heavily Republican, Democrats see a confluence of factors turning this race more competitive than usual, as the GOP faces a number of challenges. Trump’s approval rating has declined throughout the first year of his second term, while Democrats are energized after 2025 election wins last month.
A special election occurring the Tuesday after Thanksgiving may mean significantly lower turnout than a regularly scheduled election, though Trump and other Republicans are trying to galvanize the party base to show up. Democrats have outperformed the 2024 presidential results in special election contests throughout 2025.
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time).
“Our numbers show that the race is still close,” Behn told NBC News in an interview.
The Democrat, who said she has focused her campaign on “fixing roads, feeding kids and funding hospitals,” said she had spoken to voters in the district who were very “disenchanted” about government.
“I don’t think the answer to fix the problem in Washington is to send another person from the same party that broke it,” Behn said.
Van Epps, who plans to back up Trump in the House and continue Green’s legacy in the 7th District, has also said he wants to bring down health care premiums and the cost of living. His campaign did not respond to multiple interview requests, though he spoke with NBC News in October, ahead of the primary.
In that interview, Van Epps said he was campaigning on “security, opportunity and prosperity” and touted Green’s work with the Trump administration on border security, saying it “serves as a good way to pick up the ball and run with it.” His campaign has also focused on the cost of living, with ads criticizing career politicians for “reckless spending” and saying costs are “out of control.”
Van Epps also hopes to leverage name recognition from his time in Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet and his experience as a National Guard officer and Army veteran in a district with a large military presence.
Meanwhile, super PACs backing Van Epps have worked to make Behn unelectable and convince GOP voters to come out to back the Republican against her.
In ads, super PACs backing Van Epps have used a clip of Behn saying she was “a very radical person.” And in November, a clip of Behn saying she “hates this city,” referring to Nashville, surfaced in some conservative news outlets.
Trump has gotten into the action, attacking Behn on social media and urging Republicans to go to the polls.
Behn said the attacks indicated Republicans were afraid of the election’s outcome and they were “digging at the bottom of the barrel” to paint her in a negative light. Behn said she had legitimate criticisms of local politics, as did Republicans, and called it “laughable” that she would hate “the city that I’ve poured my blood, sweat and tears into the last 10 years to make more affordable.”
Behn often posts vertical videos speaking directly to the camera on social media. She has said she can’t recall what she was discussing in the clip about Nashville, though she said the quote was taken out of context and that she wasn’t pushing a radical agenda.
Behn and Democratic groups supporting her campaign have attacked Van Epps in ads for saying he would not have voted for the bill to release files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.
Trump signed the bill into law on Nov. 21 after doing an about-face on the legislative push.
