2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election

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The 2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election was held on December 2, 2025, to fill the vacant seat in Tennessee's 7th congressional district. The deadline for entering the special election was on October 7, 2025.[3] Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the general election, and will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress, which will end on January 3, 2027. The seat became vacant on July 20, 2025, following the resignation of Republican Mark Green, who took a private sector job.[4] Green resigned after voting to help pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[5][6]

Quick facts Tennessee's 7th congressional district, Turnout ...
2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election
← 2024
December 2, 2025
2026 →
Tennessee's 7th congressional district
Turnout~38% Decrease[a]
 
Nominee Matt Van Epps Aftyn Behn
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 97,034 81,109
Percentage 53.90% 45.06%
Van Epps:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Behn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
     No data
U.S. Representative before election

Mark Green
Republican

 Elected U.S. Representative

Matt Van Epps
Republican

Close

Primary elections took place on October 7, where Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn won their respective primaries.[7] The in-person early voting period ran from November 12 to 26.[8]

In the December 2 general election, Van Epps defeated Behn by 8.8%. Democrats significantly improved their margins in the special election, overperforming their 2024 result by 12.6%. Although voter turnout was lower, as is common in special elections, it reached a level similar to what the district recorded during the 2022 midterms.[9] This marked the strongest Democratic performance in the district since 1982.[10][11]

Van Epps was sworn in to Congress on December 4, 2025.[12]

Partisan background

The 7th congressional district is a mixed urban-rural district includes parts of Nashville that are heavily Democratic, such as downtown, two universities, Belmont and Vanderbilt, and most of the city's majority-black precincts. Surrounding counties, including Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, and Williamson, are generally affluent and include mainly majority-white exurbs and suburbs. Franklin, in particular, is a wealthy Republican suburban stronghold. Montgomery County, anchored by Clarksville, Tennessee's fifth-largest city, is politically mixed and slightly more competitive than the district overall. Clarksville is diverse, with White, Black, and Hispanic populations spread throughout the city, and the county often serves as a bellwether for the district. The district's rural areas are overwhelmingly Republican, consisting of eight counties that are predominantly White, and this portion helps maintain the district's strongly red character.[13]

In the 2024 presidential election, the district voted for Donald Trump by more than 22%.[14] It also supported Mark Green in 2024 by over 21%.[15] The district's 2025 Cook PVI was R+10.[16]

Campaign

Republican primary

The Republican primary was held on October 7, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mark Green.[17] The contest featured 11 candidates, including state representatives Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso, Lee Reeves and businessman Stuart Cooper.[18] Matt Van Epps, an Army veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, ran on a platform of border security and the "America First" agenda.[19][20]

On October 3, 2025, Donald Trump endorsed Van Epps, leading fellow candidates Lee Reeves and Stuart Cooper to withdraw and endorse him, though Reeves' and Cooper's name remained on the ballot.[21][22] The endorsement triggered a broader consolidation of party support behind Van Epps, who won the primary with 51.6% of the vote. He carried 12 of the district's 14 counties, while Barrett won his home counties of Dickson and Hickman.[23][24]

Democratic primary

Four candidates contested the Democratic primary: state representatives Aftyn Behn, Vincent Dixie, and Bo Mitchell, and consultant Darden Copeland.[25] Behn, a community organizer and social worker, won the nomination with a plurality of 27.9% of the vote, defeating Copeland by 933 votes.[26] Her campaign focused on universal healthcare, rural hospital funding, and the rising cost of living.[27] National Democratic groups monitored the race as a test of progressive messaging in a district redrawn in 2022 to include Democratic strongholds in Nashville.[28]

General election

The general election campaign was characterized by significant national investment. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson campaigned with Van Epps, and President Trump participated in "tele-rallies" to boost turnout.[29] Conservative super PACs, including MAGA Inc., spent over $1.7 million on advertising targeting Behn.[30] Behn received high-profile support from former vice president Al Gore, U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former vice president Kamala Harris.[31] In November, Harris visited Nashville to headline a canvassing kickoff for the Tennessee Democratic Party. While Harris did not mention Behn by name during her remarks, she urged voters to recognize the "power in the South" and emphasized the national significance of the special election.[32][33]

The campaign featured aggressive attack advertisements from both sides. Republican groups ran ads highlighting Behn's past comments where she described herself as a "radical" and claimed to have "bullied" state police during protests; ads also resurfaced an old social media post where she stated she "hated" the city of Nashville and country music.[29] Behn dismissed these as distractions from her focus on healthcare affordability.[27] Conversely, Democratic ads criticized Van Epps for his ties to national Republican leadership and his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Behn characterized as a "transfer of wealth to the rich".[34]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

  • Matt Van Epps, former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services (2024–2025)[35]

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Jody Barrett
Executive branch officials
Local officials
Individuals
Organizations
Gino Bulso
State legislators
Individuals
Matt Van Epps
Executive branch officials
U.S. representative
Statewide officials
State legislators
Local officials
Organizations
Lee Reeves (withdrawn)
State legislators
Local officials
Party officials
  • Lonnie Spivak, former chair of the Nashville Republican Party[48]
Organizations

Fundraising

Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.

More information Campaign finance reports as of November 11, 2025, Candidate ...
Campaign finance reports as of November 11, 2025
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Gino Bulso (R) $757,062[c] $701,501 $55,561
Jody Barrett (R) $316,907 $255,345 $61,562
Stuart Cooper (R) $34,653[d] $28,793 $5,859
Mason Foley (R) $405,548[e] $391,822 $13,726
Jason Knight (R) $41,865[f] $36,093 $5,772
Joe Leurs (R) $6,604 $17,747 $0
Stewart Parks (R) $362,210[g] $358,595 $3,615
Matthew Van Epps (R) $992,716 $761,549 $231,167
Lee Reeves (R) $578,854[h] $550,388 $28,466
Source: Federal Election Commission[61]
Close

Polling

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[i]		 Margin
of error		 Jody
Barrett		 Gino
Bulso		 Lee
Reeves		 Matt
Van Epps		 Other Undecided
Spry Strategies[62][A] August 19–23, 2025 500 (LV) ± 4.4% 10% 9% 8% 7% 8%[j] 58%
Close

Results

Results by county:
  Van Epps
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  Barrett
  •   50–60%
Results by precinct:
  Van Epps
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   >90%
  Barrett
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Bulso
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  Parks
  •    >90%
  Tie
  •   20–30%
      30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50%
  No data/No votes

Matt Van Epps won twelve of the fourteen counties, while Jody Barrett won the two counties he represents in the Tennessee State House, Dickson and Hickman.

More information Party, Candidate ...
Republican primary results[63][64]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Van Epps 19,006 51.56%
Republican Jody Barrett 9,337 25.33%
Republican Gino Bulso 4,005 10.86%
Republican Lee Reeves (withdrawn) 1,929 5.23%
Republican Mason Foley 1,022 2.77%
Republican Stewart Parks 595 1.61%
Republican Jason Knight 381 1.03%
Republican Stuart Cooper (withdrawn) 239 0.65%
Republican Tres Wittum 133 0.36%
Republican Joe Leurs 122 0.33%
Republican Adolph Dagan 93 0.25%
Total votes 36,862 100.00%
Close

By county

More information County, Van Epps ...
Results by county[65]
County Van Epps Barrett Bulso Reeves Parks Others Total
Benton
(part)		 33651.53% 13220.25% 12318.87% 172.61% 253.83% 192.91% 652
Cheatham 1,69557.75% 68123.20% 2347.97% 1163.95% 421.43% 1675.69% 2,935
Davidson
(part)		 1,35952.11% 47418.17% 31812.19% 1586.06% 521.99% 2479.47% 2,608
Decatur 42758.25% 12016.37% 729.82% 273.68% 587.91% 293.96% 733
Dickson 1,50436.00% 2,20152.68% 2566.13% 1242.97% 290.69% 641.53% 4,178
Hickman 56728.72% 1,04152.74% 19910.08% 592.99% 542.74% 542.74% 1,974
Houston 23234.63% 16524.63% 21431.94% 152.24% 233.43% 213.13% 670
Humphreys 56847.61% 36830.85% 14612.24% 484.02% 121.01% 514.27% 1,193
Montgomery 5,83766.87% 114813.15% 91510.48% 3073.52% 510.58% 4715.40% 8,729
Perry 23046.00% 16733.40% 6112.20% 132.60% 183.60% 112.20% 500
Robertson 2,81064.18% 62814.34% 50311.49% 1533.49% 691.58% 2154.91% 4,378
Stewart 59058.65% 14714.61% 16416.30% 343.38% 403.98% 313.08% 1,006
Wayne 45750.89% 26829.84% 697.68% 303.34% 404.45% 343.79% 898
Williamson
(part)		 2,39437.36% 1,79728.04% 73111.41% 82812.92% 821.28% 5768.99% 6,408
Totals 19,00651.56% 9,33725.33% 4,00510.86% 1,9295.23% 5951.61% 1,9905.39% 36,862
Close

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Endorsements

Aftyn Behn
Organizations
Vincent Dixie
State legislators
Organizations
Bo Mitchell
U.S. representatives
State legislators
Local officials
Labor unions

Fundraising

More information Campaign finance reports as of November 12, 2025, Candidate ...
Campaign finance reports as of November 12, 2025
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Aftyn Behn (D) $1,230,629 $708,892 $521,737
Darden Copeland (D) $591,675[k] $483,889 $107,786
Vincent Dixie (D) $161,609 $145,924 $15,685
Bo Mitchell (D) $228,777 $198,633 $30,144
Source: Federal Election Commission[61]
Close

Results

Results by county:
  Behn
  •   30–40%
  Copeland
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  Mitchell
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  Dixie
  •   30–40%
Results by precinct:
  Behn
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   >90%
  Copeland
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  Mitchell
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  •   >90%
  Dixie
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
      70–80%
  Tie
  •   20–30%
      30–40%
  •   50%
  No data/No votes

Aftyn Behn narrowly won, carrying one county, Williamson County, by a slim margin. She performed well in the more populous Montgomery and Davidson counties, which helped secure her victory. Darden Copeland and Bo Mitchell each carried six counties, while Vincent Dixie won Davidson.

More information Party, Candidate ...
Democratic primary results[72]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Aftyn Behn 8,653 27.89%
Democratic Darden Copeland 7,720 24.88%
Democratic Bo Mitchell 7,498 24.17%
Democratic Vincent Dixie 7,153 23.06%
Total votes 31,024 100.00%
Close

By county

More information County, Behn ...
Results by county
County Behn Copeland Mitchell Dixie Total
Benton
(part)		 3621.05% 6839.77% 6538.01% 21.17% 171
Cheatham 39724.69% 51231.84% 60137.38% 986.09% 1,608
Davidson
(part)		 3,91928.39% 1,85613.44% 2,92021.15% 5,11037.02% 13,805
Decatur 198.84% 7534.88% 11854.88% 31.40% 215
Dickson 37624.85% 40026.44% 68445.21% 533.50% 1,513
Hickman 5713.35% 16438.41% 19044.50% 163.75% 427
Houston 5627.72% 8140.10% 5929.21% 62.97% 202
Humphreys 8115.14% 18935.33% 24746.17% 183.36% 535
Montgomery 1,93128.77% 2,14631.97% 1,21618.12% 1,41921.14% 6,712
Perry 159.38% 3723.13% 10666.25% 21.25% 160
Robertson 37223.15% 67842.19% 41725.95% 1408.71% 1,607
Stewart 5617.28% 17453.70% 8024.69% 144.32% 324
Wayne 159.74% 7649.35% 5636.36% 74.55% 154
Williamson
(part)		 1,32336.84% 1,26435.20% 73920.58% 2657.38% 3,591
Totals 8,65327.89% 7,72024.88% 7,49824.17% 7,15323.06% 31,024
Close

Independents

Candidates

Declared

  • Terri Christie, boat captain[73]
  • Bobby Dodge[38]
  • Robert James Sutherby[38]
  • Jon Thorp, commercial helicopter pilot (previously ran as a Republican)[74]

Fundraising

More information Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025, Candidate ...
Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Jon Thorp (I) $7,392 $7,332 $60
Source: Federal Election Commission[61]
Close

General election

Predictions

More information Source, Ranking ...
Source Ranking As of
Inside Elections[75] Lean R November 20, 2025
The Cook Political Report[76] Likely R November 13, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball[77] Likely R July 10, 2025
Close

Post-primary endorsements

Matt Van Epps (R)
U.S. representatives
State legislators
Individuals
Organizations
Aftyn Behn (D)
Executive branch officials
U.S. representatives
State legislators
Party officials
Labor unions
Organizations
Political parties

Polling

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[i]		 Margin
of error		 Matt
Van Epps (R)		 Aftyn
Behn (D)		 Other Undecided
Emerson College[99][B] November 22–24, 2025 600 (LV) ± 3.9% 48% 46% 2%[l] 5%
49%[m] 47% 4%[n] –
Impact Research (D)[100][C] October 16–19, 2025 700 (LV) ± 3.7% 52% 44% 1%[o] 3%
Workbench Strategy (D)[101][D] October 15–19, 2025 400 (LV) ± 5.7% 51% 41% 7%[p] 1%
52%[q] 44% 4%[r]
Close

Results

More information Party, Candidate ...
2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election[102]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Matt Van Epps 97,034 53.90% −5.60
Democratic Aftyn Behn 81,109 45.06% +7.01
Independent Jon Thorp 932 0.52% N/A
Independent Terri Christie 610 0.34% N/A
Independent Bobby Dodge 198 0.11% N/A
Independent Robert Sutherby 129 0.07% N/A
Total votes 180,012 100.00%
Republican hold
Close

By county

More information County, Matt Van Epps Republican ...
County Matt Van Epps
Republican		 Aftyn Behn
Democratic		 Various candidates
Independent		 Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % Swing
Benton (part) 1,724 77.24% 470 21.06% 38 1.70% 1,254 56.18% −5.16% 2,232
Cheatham 7,917 66.27% 3,910 32.73% 120 1.00% 4,007 33.54% −8.94% 11,947
Davidson (part) 9,163 21.57% 32,990 77.65% 330 0.78% −23,827 −56.08% −19.36% 42,483
Decatur 1,970 79.34% 486 19.57% 27 1.09% 1,484 59.77% −5.78% 2,483
Dickson 9,169 69.93% 3,812 29.07% 130 0.99% 5,357 40.86% −7.28% 13,111
Hickman 3,883 75.90% 1,157 22.62% 76 1.49% 2,726 53.28% −4.27% 5,116
Houston 1,408 72.76% 506 26.15% 21 1.09% 902 46.61% −7.53% 1,935
Humphreys 3,035 71.41% 1,159 27.27% 56 1.32% 1,876 44.14% −7.28% 4,250
Montgomery 22,997 53.34% 19,552 45.35% 569 1.32% 3,445 7.99% −11.72% 43,118
Perry 1,274 76.75% 364 21.93% 22 1.33% 910 54.82% −8.63% 1,660
Robertson 12,608 71.07% 4,911 27.68% 221 1.25% 7,697 43.39% −4.00% 17,740
Stewart 2,588 76.25% 767 22.60% 39 1.15% 1,821 53.65% −7.88% 3,394
Wayne 2,412 84.63% 417 14.63% 21 0.74% 1,995 70.00% −4.25% 2,850
Williamson (part) 16,886 60.98% 10,608 38.31% 199 0.72% 6,278 22.67% −9.52% 27,693
Totals97,03453.90%81,10945.06%1,8691.04%15,9258.84% −12.61%180,012
Close
Swing by county:
  •   Democratic — +2.5–5%
  •   Democratic — +5–7.5%
  •   Democratic — +7.5–10%
  •   Democratic — +10–12.5%
  •   Democratic — +>15%

Analysis

Despite Matt Van Epps winning the seat, political analysts and local media noted that Aftyn Behn significantly narrowed the margin in a district that Donald Trump carried by more than 22 percent and that Mark Green carried by more than 21 percent in 2024. Behn improved upon prior Democratic performances in every county within the district and recorded gains in urban, suburban, exurban, and rural areas.[103][104][105]

Precinct flips from 2024:

Aftyn Behn's strongest gains were concentrated in the Davidson County portion of the district, anchored by Nashville, where Democratic margins shifted nearly 20 percent compared to former Nashville mayor Megan Barry's 2024 performance. She carried most urban Nashville precincts by large margins.[106]

In Montgomery County, Behn performed the best in Clarksville, where she flipped several precincts mainly in the northeastern part of the city and performed well in downtown and other traditionally Democratic parts of the city. This was her only other county besides Davidson in which she gained more than double digits and marked her second-best performance in the district. While Behn did well in Clarksville, she lost Montgomery County by 8 percent, as Van Epps held enough ground in the southern and eastern parts of the county to win it.[107][106]

In Williamson County, Behn made notable gains in portions of Franklin, flipping some precincts in the city. While she was unable to reduce the Republican margin in the county to below 60 percent, she still gained ground by shifting the county nearly 10 percent. Despite this shift, analysts at Sabato's Crystal Ball noted that her performance in this populous subsection of the district was relatively "stagnant" compared to the larger swings seen elsewhere.[108][109] Her margin in the county was similar to the results recorded during the 2020 election. However, she trailed the 2018 performance of Phil Bredesen, who narrowly lost the 7th District under these lines during his senate campaign.[110][111]

Republican advantages in mainly suburban, exurban, and rural areas across the district ultimately secured the victory for Van Epps.[108][112]

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    The Tennessee Secretary of State has not released an official districtwide turnout report.[1] Turnout is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast by the number of registered voters. Using 180,012 votes cast and approximately 469,000 registered voters,[2] the result comes to about 0.38.
  2. [b]
    Glenn Jacobs endorsed Matt Van Epps after Lee Reeves, whom he had originally endorsed, dropped out.
  3. [c]
    $693,973 of this total was self-funded by Bulso
  4. [d]
    $1,995 of this total was self-funded by Cooper
  5. [e]
    $325,000 of this total was self-funded by Foley
  6. [f]
    $20,000 of this total was self-funded by Knight
  7. [g]
    $67,167 of this total was self-funded by Parks
  8. [h]
    $300,000 of this total was self-funded by Reeves
  9. [i]
    Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  10. [j]
    Knight with 3%; Wittum with 2%; Cooper, Dagan, and Parks with 1%; Foley and Leurs with 0%
  11. [k]
    $100,000 of this total was self-funded by Copeland
  12. [l]
    Thorp with 1%, Christie with 1%, Dodge and Sutherby with <1%
  13. [m]
    With voters who lean towards a given candidate
  14. [n]
    Thorp with 2%, Christie with 1%, Dodge with 1%, Sutherby with <1%
  15. [o]
    Thorp (I) with 1%
  16. [p]
    "Independent candidates" with 7%
  17. [q]
    With voters who lean towards a given candidate
  18. [r]
    "Would Not Vote/Undecided/Don't Know" with 4%
Partisan clients
  1. [A]
    This poll was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Tennessee
  2. [B]
    Poll sponsored by Nexstar Media Group
  3. [C]
    This poll was sponsored by Your Community PAC
  4. [D]
    This poll was sponsored by Behn's campaign

References

External links

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