Republican nominee Matt Van Epps has been projected as the winner of Tuesday’s special general election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Democratic nominee State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) and four independent candidates.
Decision Desk HQ called the race for Van Epps, a U.S. Army veteran and former Lee administration official, at 8:06 p.m., when unofficial election results published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office showed Van Epps with 58,735 votes compared to Behn’s 50,315 votes.
Decision Desk HQ projects Matt Van Epps to win the US House special election in Tennessee's 7th congressional district.#DecisionMade: 9:06 pm ET pic.twitter.com/Uud1B74sKx
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) December 3, 2025
National attention shifted to Tuesday’s 7th District race after Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings revealed that Behn had out-raised Van Epps and was heading into Election Day with a larger cash-on-hand advantage. An Emerson College poll – although flawed in its methodology – also showed Behn trailing Van Epps by only 2 points, even though the 7th District backed Donald Trump by a wide 22-point margin in the 2024 general election.
Despite her fundraising advantage, Behn – dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” – faced immense criticism on social media and in national news in the days leading up to Tuesday’s election for her own controversial remarks and policy stances that have come to light throughout the race.
Van Epps’ congressional bid was strongly backed by President Donald Trump and other Republican powerhouses, including the RNC, Club for Growth PAC, Governor Bill Lee, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), and others.
Retired U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who represented Tennessee’s 7th District from 2019 until stepping down earlier this year to enter the private sector, also endorsed Van Epps for the vacant seat.
Behn, who has described herself as a “very radical person,” appeared on the campaign trail with Democratic figures, including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), former Vice President Al Gore, and Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin.
– – –
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.
