A long-held Republican congressional seat in Tennessee is facing its most serious challenge in over forty years, with polls showing the race tightening just weeks before a special election.
The contest for Tennessee’s 7th District, which includes parts of Nashville and spans into middle and west Tennessee, pits Democratic state representative Aftyn Behn against Republican Matt Van Epps. The seat has been in Republican hands since 1983, but recent surveys indicate Van Epps’ lead has shrunk to single digits.
The Democratic candidate is running a campaign centered on economic pressures facing residents. “If you are dissatisfied, if you are not OK with what’s going on, then I’m your candidate,” Behn stated, positioning herself as the voice for voters upset with the “cost and chaos” of current conditions. She describes her effort as building a “coalition of the disenchanted.”
Her opponent, an army veteran, has received public backing from former President Donald Trump and financial support from several billionaires. Van Epps has declined to participate in a debate ahead of the December 2nd election and has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the race.
The campaign has become a focal point for voter sentiment on economic issues. Tennessee ranks among states with significant grocery cost burdens and has experienced steep increases in housing expenses, factors the Behn campaign highlights. The state is also considered highly vulnerable to international trade tariffs.
Behn has emphasized her refusal of corporate political action committee money, arguing that Tennessee’s government too often works “clandestinely for the puppet masters rather than the people.” She pointed to a recent controversial project by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, which state Republicans approved despite local opposition, as an example of the system being “rigged in favor of” corporate interests.
The Democratic challenger has pursued an aggressive field operation, knocking on doors throughout the district and appearing on conservative talk radio in an effort to reach across party lines. She contrasts her approach with an opponent she says is “hiding from the press, hiding from the people.”
Early voting is underway, with the special election set for December 2nd to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Republican representative Mark Green earlier this year.
