By Jacki Thrapp
Contributing Writer
NASHVILLE — Republican Matt Van Epps has won the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District seat.
The former state commissioner and Army helicopter pilot defeated the Democratic nominee, Aftyn Behn, with 53.2% of the vote in the highly publicized race, according to The Associated Press as of 9:45 p.m. ET Tuesday. Behn had 45.7% of the vote.
“We did it,” the congressman-elect exclaimed during his victory speech at the ballroom inside of Nashville’s Millennium Hotel Maxwell House.
“Tonight, you sent a message loud and clear: The people of middle Tennessee stand with President Donald J. Trump and stand firmly behind our campaign. I am humbled beyond belief to stand before you tonight as your next representative. I will never forget the trust placed in me.”
Van Epps thanked God, his wife, his supporters, and his team.
More than 43,000 ballots were submitted during the early voting period, according to the Tennessee Division of Elections.
The congressman-elect, originally from Ohio, will represent 14 counties in Middle Tennessee — including downtown Nashville — after the seat was left vacant by Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., who retired over the summer to take a job in the private sector.
The win of the Tennessee seat, which President Donald Trump won by more than 20 points in 2024, helps the Republicans maintain hold of their slim majority in the U.S. House, which is expected to shrink once again on Jan. 5, 2026, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., resigns.
“Tonight we showed [that] running from Trump is how you lose [and] running with Trump is how you win,” Van Epps said on Tuesday at his victory party.
Van Epps confirmed that Behn called to concede shortly after the election was called in his favor.
“Tonight, we did something everyone counted out,” Behn wrote in an X post after her loss.
“We proved to a nation that states like Tennessee are still worth fighting for. The margin was close, and that can only be attributed to the thousands of volunteers who showed out. This is just the beginning.”
Before the Trump-endorsed candidate was elected, the 119th Congress had 219 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and three vacancies.
Van Epps’ win comes after the GOP flooded Tennessee with a multi-county, boots-on-the-ground effort to gain as much support as possible in the 24 hours ahead of the election.
On Monday, Van Epps headlined a morning rally in Franklin and an evening rally in Clarksville, which featured appearances by party powerhouses such as Speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johnson, R-La., Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
Trump called into the rally inside a large barn and said that he attempted to fly out to the district to campaign for Van Epps but that the Secret Service declined that request because there wasn’t enough time to put a security plan in place.
Millions were poured into both the Republican and Democratic campaigns.
MAGA Inc., a super PAC, spent about $1 million to support Van Epps’ campaign as he raised $992,715 between April 1 and Nov. 12, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
His rival raised $1.2 million between July 1 and Nov. 12. The House Majority PAC spent $1 million on digital and television ads for her.
The high-stakes election was neck and neck ahead of election day, as an Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey released on Nov. 26 showed Van Epps slightly ahead with 48% of voter support in the district and Behn with 46%.
Van Epps promised to advance Trump’s MAGA agenda, fix the economy, bring manufacturing back to America, secure borders, keep transgender-identifying athletes out of women’s sports, and protect farmers.
The Associated Press and Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
