Republican U.S Congressional candidate for the seventh district Matt Van Epps speaks to supporters during a rally Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Franklin, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Republican candidate Matt Van Epps has defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. 

Decision Desk HQ declared Van Epps the winner at 9:06 pm ET. With more than 92% of the vote counted at 9:45 p.m. EST, Van Epps held a 7.5 percentage point advantage. Even though Behn lost, her performance represented a major shift from Rep. Mark Green’s (R) 21.5 percentage point victory in 2024. 

The race was unexpectedly competitive despite being held in a deep-red district that President Donald Trump carried by 22 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. The off-year special election, the first held in Tennessee since the 1980s, drew millions in outside spending from liberal and conservative groups.

Van Epps, 42, is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan and Iraq. After his military career, Van Epps worked as a state official in Tennessee for the Veterans Services and Transportation Departments. He also owns a consulting firm called Darkhorse Strategies.

Van Epps garnered an endorsement from Trump, and he has indicated support for Trump’s immigration policy, partnership with Israel and vowed to follow Trump’s lead on not extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Behn represents Tennessee’s 51st District in the state’s House of Representatives, which incorporates parts of Nashville. Behn, who did not accept corporate PAC money in the race, focused her campaign on affordability in the face of rising costs under Trump’s second term. Before running for office, Behn worked as a community organizer.

Democrats saw the race as an opportunity to take advantage of Trump’s unpopularity after the promising election results for Democratic candidates in the off-year elections on Nov. 4. Those results saw comfortable victories for Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D), New Jersey Gov.elect Mickie Sherrill (D), and three Pennsylvania state Supreme Court candidates. These wins were fueled by significant leftward shifts in traditionally red-voting districts.

In the final weeks of the race, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with Behn in Tennessee.

The special election was scheduled after Green resigned on July 20. Green left Congress to accept a private sector employment opportunity he described as “too exciting to pass up.”