Republican Van Epps and Democrat Behn win Middle Tenn. U.S. House primary

Democratic Nashville state rep. Aftyn Behn, left, and Republican former Tennessee General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps, right, will face off in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th U.S. Congressional District. (Photos by John Partipilo)

Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn will face off in a special election for the 7th Congressional District seat after securing their party nominations Tuesday.

Van Epps, the former Tennessee General Services Commissioner, won the GOP primary with around 49% of the 35,000 votes cast and Dickson state Rep. Jody Barrett finished in second with around 27%. Van Epps’ margin of victory was primarily driven by his support in Clarksville, where his military ties, support from former U.S. Rep. Mark Green, and a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump bolstered his path to victory. He also received a $750,000 boost from three dark money independent PACs — political action groups that aren’t required to disclose their donors —  including one that ran advertisements of him in his military uniform, calling him a “MAGA warrior.”

Behn, a Nashville state representative, narrowly won the Democratic primary with around 28% of the vote. All four Democrats running in the election received over 20%. When the race was called, Behn had only won one of the 14 counties in the district, but finished second in counties containing Nashville and Clarksville, where the majority of ballots were cast. Behn ran as a progressive outsider, advocating that the only way a Democratic candidate could win the heavily Republican district was with an energized turnout.

The district was previously represented by Green, a Clarksville Republican who was first elected to Congress in 2018, but resigned in July, triggering the special election. The 7th district encompasses the northern and western third of Davidson County, portions of Williamson and Montgomery Counties and about a dozen rural counties. It was redrawn in 2022, as part of the state Republicans’ successful gerrymandering that eliminated a U.S. House seat that covered all of Nashville.

The Republican primary included a field of 12 candidates, but Van Epps, Barrett and state reps. Gino Bulso and Lee Reeves emerged as the favorites in the race. The GOP candidates attempted to distinguish themselves from one another as they vied to demonstrate whose policies most closely aligned with those of President Donald Trump. 

The Democratic primary was a tight four-way race with Behn besting businessman Darden Copeland and fellow Nashville state Reps. Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell. All four of the candidates agreed they would serve as a check on Trump’s presidency. Copeland, a first-time candidate, earned 24.8% of the Democratic vote, followed by Rep. Bo Mitchell with 24% and Rep. Vincent Dixie got 23.2%.

Republicans currently hold a narrow 219-213 majority in the U.S. House. A Democratic win would not swing the majority but narrow it before the 2026 midterm elections. 

The winner of the Dec. 2 special election will have to run again in 2026 to secure a full term. 

How the Republican race played out

Almost $2.5 million of independent expenditures were used for mailers and TV advertisements. The School Freedom Fund, a pro-private school voucher group, spent nearly around $700,000 to target Barrett, who voted against the plan as a state representative. 

The School Freedom Fund played a pivotal role in Tennessee’s state House elections in 2024, spending almost $3.3 million to elect a slate of pro-voucher candidates, including Reeves. 

Van Epps outraised all the GOP opponents, but he also had a head start in the field when he announced his candidacy days after Green’s resignation.

Bulso put $500,000 of his own money into the race and Reeves spent $300,000 of personal funds. 

Polling a month before the election showed a dead heat between the four frontrunners, but in the final days, Van Epps secured the endorsement of Trump and Gov. Bill Lee. Reeves dropped out and endorsed Van Epps following Trump’s announcement.

How the Democratic race played out

Significantly less money was spent in the Democratic race compared to the Republicans. Copeland spent over $125,000 of his own money and raised the most of any candidate. 

But Behn, who has been working as a community organizer across the state since 2017, used her firebrand attitude at debates to distinguish herself from the rest of the group. 

It’s the second time in the last two years that Behn has taken on more centrist Democrats and emerged victorious. To win her state House election in a 2023 special election, she defeated a former member of the Metro Nashville Council who had been appointed to fill an unexpired term. 

Behn will enter the race as a significant underdog. 

The 7th district is rated a solid Republican seat, despite the special election. Green won the seat by 20 percentage points in the two elections since it was redrawn to include parts of Nashville. 

This is a developing story.