Republican nominee Matt Van Epps heads to the stage to announce his victory in the Tennessee 7th Congressional District special election during his election night event in Nashville, Tennessee, US, December 2, 2025. © Andrew Nelles/USA Today Network via REUTERS
(New York, NY) – You might want to put that “blue wave” on hold. Although Democrats picked up some key races in early November — down in Virginia as well as around the Tri-state — a key bellwether race in Tennessee just swung the way of Republicans.
On paper it was an easy match for the GOP. This is in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, where former Army helicopter pilot Matt Van Epps won as a Republican — defeating Democrat Aftyn Behn. After publicly declaring that she hates country music, and decrying practices by the police as “racist” — Behn was fighting an uphill battle in “red state” Tennessee. President Trump went so far as to brand her the “AOC of Tennessee” and he fully endorsed Van Epps.
As more than 99% of the vote had been counted, Van Epps was leading over Behn by 8.9%. Despite her disparaging remarks against country music, she carried Davidson County (Nashville) by a more-than 3-to-1 margin. The rest of the central Tennessee district — which bends conservative by and large — went for Van Epps.
Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate on behalf of his endorsee: “Congratulations to Matt Van Epps on his BIG Congressional WIN in the Great State of Tennessee. The Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars. Another great night for the Republican Party!!! President DJT.”
And at his victory party, Van Epps struck a similar tone: “Politicians who run from the president or abandon the common-sense policies that the American people gave us a resounding mandate on do so at their own peril. No matter what the DC insiders or liberal media say, this is President Trump’s party. I’m proud to be a part of it and can’t wait to get to work.”
Behn kept her spirits up while conceding defeat. Wearing a rhinestone Western-style suit and singing Dolly Parton, she declared “Tonight isn’t the end. It is the beginning of a next chapter of Tennessee and American politics — one of possibility, one of power and one of progress for the people that we love.”
This in essence blunts Democrats’ hope for a so-called “blue wave” in the upcoming midterm elections. The seat in question was vacated by former Republican Rep. Mark Green — who resigned and took a private sector job. With that throwing the Congressional balance into question — as well as Marjorie Taylor Green announcing she won’t seek re-election in Georgia — the race took on increased importance.
Van Epps, once sworn in, will give the Republicans a 220-to-213 majority in the House. Two vacancies currently held by Democrats will be decided in early 2026 special elections.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned in person in support of Van Epps. President Trump participated in tele rallies to “get out the vote.” Trump noted why those efforts were significant: “This is a big deal, because right now we’re like three votes up on the radical left [in the House], and this would be a wonderful victory for us. It’ll be really a positive sign.” And Johnson agreed, noting “every seat matters more than ever,” and that “(it’s) is no secret (his) majority in Congress is razor-thin.”
There was a good chunk of money plopped down on the race as well. MAGA Inc. spent nearly $1.7 million (first post-2024 spending), with almost half on streaming-video digital ads. That’s in comparison to the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC, which spent $1 million on Behn. DNC Chair Ken Martin also visited. Former Vice President Kamala Harris canvassed with Behn, and Al Gore as well as AOC herself held virtual rallies.
Trump’s “AOC of Tennessee” moniker harkened back to comments Behn made, such as 2020 anti-police posts and a 2019 op-ed calling Tennessee “racist.” Trump also repeatedly hit at her for past podcast comments such as “I hate country music” and broader remarks about Nashville: “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 apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country.”
For Republicans, and party strategists, the hope is this pushes back on the narrative that even deep-red districts are now competitive. Trump summed it up by saying: “The Democrats are spending a fortune, and we don’t want people that want to raise your taxes. But [Behn] said two things above all else that bothered me. Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that?” And, at least in this election — the majority did not.
