Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is urging Republican voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to bank their vote for nominee Matt Van Epps during the last few days of the early voting period for the December 2 special general election.
Voters in the 7th District – which includes Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson, Houston, Dickson, Cheatham, Humphreys, Hickman, Perry, Decatur, Wayne, and parts of Davidson, Benton, and Williamson counties – can bank their votes for the special general through Wednesday.
Middle Tennessee, Early Voting ends tomorrow!
✅ Double-check your polling location
✅ Bring a friend to vote
✅ Vote @MattForTNMake your plan now! https://t.co/carMOsCtmo pic.twitter.com/CZofg84Z2O
— GOP (@GOP) November 25, 2025
Gruters said Trump-backed Van Epps, a U.S. Army veteran who served in multiple roles for the administration of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, is “the right choice for Tennessee.”
“He’ll work with President Trump to lower prices, cut the cost of living, and create good-paying jobs. Republicans need to turn out and keep this Trump district red so we can protect our majority in Congress,” Gruters added.
The RNC chair blasted Van Epps’ Democratic opponent in the race, State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), as a “woke liberal who voted against tax cuts, supports taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries, wants to defund the police, and calls Tennessee ‘racist.’”
A total of 63,205 votes have been cast during the early voting period for the 7th District’s special general election through Monday, according to data published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office.
The RNC’s support for Van Epps comes as Behn has out fundraised the Republican nominee leading up to the election.
Recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings through November 12 show Behn has raised $1,230,629, with $522,000 cash on hand, compared with Van Epps’ $992,715 raised and $231,000 cash on hand heading into Election Day.
Despite her fundraising advantage, Behn continues to face immense criticism on social media and in national news for resurfaced comments she has made over the last few years regarding her controversial policy stances and her “hate” for the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee.
Among the resurfaced remarks Behn has been called out for in recent days regard her comments in a 2020 interview, where she said she “hates” the Nashville tourism scene and Music City itself, and a 2019 op-ed in The Tennessean in which she called Tennessee a “racist” state.
On top of this, she has been criticized for past comments saying the police should be “abolished” and defunded, justifying looting and rioting, and stating men can “give birth.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Matt Van Epps” by Matt Van Epps.
