Republican candidate, U.S. Army combat veteran, and pro-Trump candidate Matt Van Epps has won Tennessee's 7th District special election. He has vowed to work with the president to make America more affordable, to reshore manufacturing jobs, and to unleash American energy.
It was clear that the economy was voters' number one priority in this election, and that is unlikely to change heading into 2026.
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
BREAKING: Matt Van Epps (R) defeats Aftyn Behn (D) in TN-07 pic.twitter.com/6JxJdnVo11
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 3, 2025
Victory for Behn, a progressive some dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee,” was once unthinkable in a district President Trump won by 22 points just last year. Despite her record of backing controversial policies, including transgender surgeries for minors, defunding the police, and even saying she hates Nashville, the very city she sought to represent, her support surged into the margin of error, leaving a tight race for today's election.
Her near-upset could have flipped a deep-red seat for the first time in more than four decades, validating Democrats’ new strategy and signaling a dark warning for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterms.
Amid the close race, President Trump himself was encouraging Republican voters to head to the polls just a day before the election.
“This is a big deal, because right now we’re like, three votes up on the radical left, and this would be a wonderful victory for us,” Trump said on Monday, according to the New York Post. “It’ll be really a positive sign.”
“If it’s like two points less than that, they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s terrible. I guess Trump’s losing his magic,” Trump continued. “I want Matt to do better than me, even.”
The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, was on the front lines as well, spending Monday on the campaign trail with Van Epps, echoing the president's sentiment that a Republican victory was crucial.
“It is no secret my majority in Congress is razor-thin ... every seat matters more than ever, and that’s exactly why we need Matt here in Washington,” Johnson said. “[Behn] would be just a rubber stamp for the disastrous agenda of radicals like [Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and the rest of them. Don’t take my word for it, Matt’s opponent is actually having a rally with AOC right now in deep red Tennessee, if you can believe that, even as we speak.”
Behn, on Monday, held a virtual rally with the former head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and former Vice President Al Gore, who represented Tennessee in both the House and Senate for more than 15 years.
The candidates were running to replace Republican Mark Greene, who retired over the summer to work in the private sector.
Van Epps' victory is sure to bolster the slim Republican majority in the House, as eyes turn toward the 2026 midterm elections.
View the live election results courtesy of Decision Desk HQ below. Polls closed at 8 pm ET.