Republican Matt Van Epps has defeated Democratic state representative Aftyn Behn in the special election to replace Mark Green, a Republican who formerly represented Tennessee’s seventh congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Van Epps had received the backing of President Trump to replace Green, who resigned in July to work in the private sector. Behn, for her part, has been dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” for her progressive views.
Democrats had hoped to could carry on their momentum from November's election — in which they scored major wins in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia — and ride a wave of voter discontent over the rising cost of living to win in the conservative stronghold that Green had won just last year by nearly 22 points. The district, though conservative, includes parts of Nashville, which votes reliably blue.
The race became one of national interest, as Republicans very narrowly control the House and can hardly afford to lose a seat, with Democrats poised to fill two vacancies in the new year created by the death of Texas Representative Sylvester Turner and the election of Mikie Sherrill as the governor of New Jersey. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has also announced her plan to resign from her post in January. Republicans can afford to lose just two votes.
"Right now, every single seat matters, and this special election will fill an important one for us," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Monday.
More than $5 million was spent on advertising for the race in the wake of last month's primary, including $3 million by Republican groups and $2 million by Democrats.
Earlier on Tuesday, Van Epps said the distinction between him and Behn "cannot be more clear."
“I’m a Christian, a husband, a father, an America First conservative, a combat veteran. I served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot, served in state government, led in small business, still serving in the National Guard,” he said, during an appearance on Fox News.
During the race, Behn faced backlash over past comments she had made disparaging Nashville and calling to dissolve the city's police department. Behn argued that attacks on her past comments were meant to distract from the rising cost of living in Tennessee.
“Republicans are panicking and, in a last-ditch attempt, they are distracting from the fact that Washington Republicans and Matt Van Epps are raising costs on Tennessee families and ripping away their health care, while Aftyn Behn will lower Tennessee families’ costs and make groceries more affordable by eliminating the state’s grocery tax,” Behn's campaign manager Kate Briefs told Fox News.
Behn also said that her calls, in 2020, to defund the police predated her career as a lawmaker and that she had "matured" since then. She now believes that decisions about law enforcement funding should be made locally. She also defended herself against criticism over her past comments about disliking country music and Nashville, saying the remarks were made in frustration over the city's tourism industry.
As the race came down to the wire this week, Johnson traveled to Tennessee to campaign on Van Epps's behalf. Johnson held his phone up to the microphone at a campaign event so Trump could tell the crowd to vote.
"The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they're watching your district," Trump said. "It's a big vote, and it's gonna show something. It's got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it's ever been."
Meanwhile, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas, and Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin made appearances in support of Behn. And Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), to whom Behn is often compared as a fellow progressive, joined a virtual rally in support of Behn on Monday and commended her courage for running in what was once considered a safe Republican seat.
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