In a special election held on Tuesday, Republican Matt Van Epps emerged victorious in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, a result that, under normal circumstances, should have been straightforward for the GOP. Former President Donald Trump celebrated Van Epps’ victory, labeling it as “another great victory for the Republican Party” on Truth Social. Trump claimed that despite Democrats’ heavy investment of “Millions of Dollars” against Van Epps, the Republican candidate secured the win. As of the latest count, with 99% of the votes tallied, Van Epps was leading by about nine percentage points. This is a notable decrease from last year’s election, where the Republican candidate won by a 21-point margin, and Trump had secured the district by 22 points.

The GOP took a national approach to this race, pouring over $3 million into advertisements to ensure their candidate’s success. In his victory speech, Van Epps emphasized his allegiance to Trump, asserting, “running from Trump is how you lose,” and “running with Trump is how you win.” He further stated that any politicians distancing themselves from Trump or the policies favored by Americans do so at their own risk. “This is President Trump’s party,” he declared at his celebration event, expressing pride in his association with it and eagerness to begin his work.

Although the Republican victory is reassuring for the party, it highlights potential challenges for the upcoming midterm elections. The close margin in Tennessee, a traditionally Republican stronghold, suggests other GOP-held seats might be at risk next year. This unexpected narrow victory has prompted questions about the party’s national image and voter motivation as 2026 approaches. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin remarked that the events in Tennessee demonstrate that “Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes.” Martin also described the results as a “historic” overachievement, signaling a “flashing warning sign” for the Republicans as they prepare for the midterms.

Republican attempts to portray Behn (pictured) as a ‘radical liberal’ contrasted sharply with an aggressive Democratic effort to anchor their campaign on healthcare, economic affordability, and transparency. Trump boosted Van Epps via a tele-rally last month and in a post on X on Tuesday, lauding him for cherishing ‘Christianity and country music.’ Behn, a Nashville Democratic state representative who was her party’s nominee, sneered in a podcast that resurfaced during her campaign that she ‘hates’ the city that she hoped to represent because it’s filled with Americans who enjoy partying and country music. 

‘I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville. I hate it,’ Behn can be heard saying in the resurfaced clip from the GRITS podcast in February 2020. Ironically, Behn performed a cover of Dolly Parton’s country classic ‘9 to 5’ during her concession speech. She has also previously called sororities ‘a staple of white supremacy,’ and branded the whole of Tennessee a ‘ racist state. ‘ Republicans seized on the damning audio, arguing that it is absurd for Behn to try and represent a place she admitted she hates. 

Behn was also was discovered to have advocated for ideas such as defunding the police in 2020, policies that put her squarely in the progressive socialist camp of the Democratic party, more in line with the values of New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than middle America. Ocasio-Cortez joined a virtual rally for Behn on Monday, and Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett held a town hall with Behn last month. Behn herself, meanwhile, tried to frame her campaign around issues such as affordability that appeal to economic populist voters on both sides of the political aisle. Despite her loss on Tuesday, Behn hinted during an interview with CNN that she is leaving the door open for a rematch with Van Epps next year.

House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson boosted Van Epps (pictured together) via an in-person visit on Monday, and will retain a GOP seat in the narrow Republican majority that allows him to remain as Speaker. After returning to Washington, Johnson also encouraged Republicans to go out and vote because ‘special elections are strange animals and anything can happen, and when you’re in a deep red district, sometimes people assume that the Republican, the conservative, will win, and you cannot assume that because anything can happen.’ Johnson’s majority is still on thin ice with the imminent departure of Georgia GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who will resign her seat in January.