2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election

The 2025 Tennessee's 7th congressional district special election was held on December 2, 2025, to fill the vacant seat in Tennessee's 7th congressional district. The deadline for entering the special election was on October 7, 2025. Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the general election, and will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress, which will end on January 3, 2027. The seat became vacant on July 20, 2025, following the resignation of Republican Mark Green, who took a private sector job. Green resigned after voting to help pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Primary elections took place on October 7, where Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn won their respective primaries. The in-person early voting period ran from November 12 to 26.

In the December 2 general election, Van Epps defeated Behn by 8.8%. Democrats significantly improved their margins in the special election, overperforming their 2024 result by 12.6%. Although voter turnout was lower, as is common in special elections, it reached a level similar to what the district recorded during the 2022 midterms. This marked the strongest Democratic performance in the district since 1982.

Van Epps was sworn in to Congress on December 4, 2025.

Partisan background The 7th congressional district is a mixed urban-rural district includes parts of Nashville that are heavily Democratic, such as downtown, two universities, Belmont and Vanderbilt, and most of the city's majority-black precincts. Surrounding counties, including Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, and Williamson, are generally affluent and include mainly majority-white exurbs and suburbs. Franklin, in particular, is a wealthy Republican suburban stronghold. Montgomery County, anchored by Clarksville, Tennessee's fifth-largest city, is politically mixed and slightly more competitive than the district overall. Clarksville is diverse, with White, Black, and Hispanic populations spread throughout the city, and the county often serves as a bellwether for the district. The district's rural areas are overwhelmingly Republican, consisting of eight counties that are predominantly White, and this portion helps maintain the district's strongly red character.

In the 2024 presidential election, the district voted for Donald Trump by more than 22%. It also supported Mark Green in 2024 by over 21%. The district's 2025 Cook PVI was R+10.

Campaign

Republican primary The Republican primary was held on October 7, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mark Green. The contest featured 11 candidates, including state representatives Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso, Lee Reeves and businessman Stuart Cooper. Matt Van Epps, an Army veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, ran on a platform of border security and the "America First" agenda.

On October 3, 2025, Donald Trump endorsed Van Epps, leading fellow candidates Lee Reeves and Stuart Cooper to withdraw and endorse him, though Reeves' and Cooper's name remained on the ballot. The endorsement triggered a broader consolidation of party support behind Van Epps, who won the primary with 51.6% of the vote. He carried 12 of the district's 14 counties, while Barrett won his home counties of Dickson and Hickman.

Democratic primary Four candidates contested the Democratic primary: state representatives Aftyn Behn, Vincent Dixie, and Bo Mitchell, and consultant Darden Copeland. Behn, a community organizer and social worker, won the nomination with a plurality of 27.9% of the vote, defeating Copeland by 933 votes. Her campaign focused on universal healthcare, rural hospital funding, and the rising cost of living. National Democratic groups monitored the race as a test of progressive messaging in a district redrawn in 2022 to include Democratic strongholds in Nashville.

General election The general election campaign was characterized by significant national investment. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson campaigned with Van Epps, and President Trump participated in "tele-rallies" to boost turnout. Conservative super PACs, including MAGA Inc., spent over $1.7 million on advertising targeting Behn. Behn received high-profile support from former vice president Al Gore, U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former vice president Kamala Harris. In November, Harris visited Nashville to headline a canvassing kickoff for the Tennessee Democratic Party. While Harris did not mention Behn by name during her remarks, she urged voters to recognize the "power in the South" and emphasized the national significance of the special election.

The campaign featured aggressive attack advertisements from both sides. Republican groups ran ads highlighting Behn's past comments where she described herself as a "radical" and claimed to have "bullied" state police during protests; ads also resurfaced an old social media post where she stated she "hated" the city of Nashville and country music. Behn dismissed these as distractions from her focus on healthcare affordability. Conversely, Democratic ads criticized Van Epps for his ties to national Republican leadership and his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Behn characterized as a "transfer of wealth to the rich".

Republican primary Candidates Nominee Matt Van Epps, former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services (2024–2025)

Eliminated in primary Jody Barrett, state representative from the 69th district (2023–present) Gino Bulso, state representative from the 61st district (2023–present) Adolph Dagan, teacher Mason Foley, former legislative correspondent for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell Jason Knight, Montgomery County commissioner and candidate for Tennessee's 22nd Senate district in 2019 Joe Leurs, retired police officer Stewart Parks, realtor, participant in the January 6 Capitol attack, and candidate for the 5th district in 2022 Tres Wittum, legislative policy analyst, candidate for Tennessee's 5th congressional district in 2022 and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024

Withdrawn Stuart Cooper, businessman (endorsed Van Epps; remained on ballot) Jay Reedy, state representative from the 74th district (2015–present) (endorsed Bulso) Jon Thorp, commercial helicopter pilot (ran as an independent) Lee Reeves, state representative from the 65th district (2025–present) (endorsed Van Epps; remained on ballot)

Declined Aron Maberry, state representative from the 68th district (2025–present) (endorsed Reeves) Brandon Ogles, former state representative from the 61st district (2019–2023), candidate for this district in 2024, and cousin of U.S. representative Andy Ogles Bill Powers, state senator from the 22nd district (2019–present)

Endorsements

Fundraising Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate. Campaign finance reports as of November 11, 2025CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handGino Bulso (R)$757,062$701,501$55,561Jody Barrett (R)$316,907$255,345$61,562Stuart Cooper (R)$34,653$28,793$5,859Mason Foley (R)$405,548$391,822$13,726Jason Knight (R)$41,865$36,093$5,772Joe Leurs (R)$6,604$17,747$0Stewart Parks (R)$362,210$358,595$3,615Matthew Van Epps (R)$992,716$761,549$231,167Lee Reeves (R)$578,854$550,388$28,466Source: Federal Election Commission

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JodyBarrett GinoBulso LeeReeves MattVan Epps Other UndecidedSpry StrategiesAugust 19–23, 2025500 (LV)± 4.4%10%9%8%7%8%58%

Results Matt Van Epps won twelve of the fourteen counties, while Jody Barrett won the two counties he represents in the Tennessee State House, Dickson and Hickman.

By county + Results by countyTable includes the top four county finishers (Van Epps, Barrett, Bulso, Reeves, or Parks). If a candidate did not place in the top four in a county, their votes are included in the "Others" column. County Van Epps Barrett Bulso Reeves Parks Others Total Benton(part) 336 51.53% 132 20.25% 123 18.87% 17 2.61% 25 3.83% 19 2.91% 652 Cheatham 1,695 57.75% 681 23.20% 234 7.97% 116 3.95% 42 1.43% 167 5.69% 2,935 Davidson(part) 1,359 52.11% 474 18.17% 318 12.19% 158 6.06% 52 1.99% 247 9.47% 2,608 Decatur 427 58.25% 120 16.37% 72 9.82% 27 3.68% 58 7.91% 29 3.96% 733 Dickson 1,504 36.00% 2,201 52.68% 256 6.13% 124 2.97% 29 0.69% 64 1.53% 4,178 Hickman 567 28.72% 1,041 52.74% 199 10.08% 59 2.99% 54 2.74% 54 2.74% 1,974 Houston 232 34.63% 165 24.63% 214 31.94% 15 2.24% 23 3.43% 21 3.13% 670 Humphreys 568 47.61% 368 30.85% 146 12.24% 48 4.02% 12 1.01% 51 4.27% 1,193 Montgomery 5,837 66.87% 1148 13.15% 915 10.48% 307 3.52% 51 0.58% 471 5.40% 8,729 Perry 230 46.00% 167 33.40% 61 12.20% 13 2.60% 18 3.60% 11 2.20% 500 Robertson 2,810 64.18% 628 14.34% 503 11.49% 153 3.49% 69 1.58% 215 4.91% 4,378 Stewart 590 58.65% 147 14.61% 164 16.30% 34 3.38% 40 3.98% 31 3.08% 1,006 Wayne 457 50.89% 268 29.84% 69 7.68% 30 3.34% 40 4.45% 34 3.79% 898 Williamson(part) 2,394 37.36% 1,797 28.04% 731 11.41% 828 12.92% 82 1.28% 576 8.99% 6,408 Totals 19,006 51.56% 9,337 25.33% 4,005 10.86% 1,929 5.23% 595 1.61% 1,990 5.39% 36,862

Democratic primary Candidates Nominee Aftyn Behn, state representative from the 51st district (2023–present)

Eliminated in primary Darden Copeland, consultant Vincent Dixie, state representative from the 54th district (2019–present) Bo Mitchell, state representative from the 50th district (2013–present)

Declined Charlane Oliver, state senator from the 19th district (2023–present) Megan Barry, former mayor of Nashville (2015–2018) and nominee for this district in 2024

Endorsements

Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of November 12, 2025CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handAftyn Behn (D)$1,230,629$708,892$521,737Darden Copeland (D)$591,675$483,889$107,786Vincent Dixie (D)$161,609$145,924$15,685Bo Mitchell (D)$228,777$198,633$30,144Source: Federal Election Commission

Results Aftyn Behn narrowly won, carrying one county, Williamson County, by a slim margin. She performed well in the more populous Montgomery and Davidson counties, which helped secure her victory. Darden Copeland and Bo Mitchell each carried six counties, while Vincent Dixie won Davidson.

By county + Results by county County Behn Copeland Mitchell Dixie Total Benton(part) 36 21.05% 68 39.77% 65 38.01% 2 1.17% 171 Cheatham 397 24.69% 512 31.84% 601 37.38% 98 6.09% 1,608 Davidson(part) 3,919 28.39% 1,856 13.44% 2,920 21.15% 5,110 37.02% 13,805 Decatur 19 8.84% 75 34.88% 118 54.88% 3 1.40% 215 Dickson 376 24.85% 400 26.44% 684 45.21% 53 3.50% 1,513 Hickman 57 13.35% 164 38.41% 190 44.50% 16 3.75% 427 Houston 56 27.72% 81 40.10% 59 29.21% 6 2.97% 202 Humphreys 81 15.14% 189 35.33% 247 46.17% 18 3.36% 535 Montgomery 1,931 28.77% 2,146 31.97% 1,216 18.12% 1,419 21.14% 6,712 Perry 15 9.38% 37 23.13% 106 66.25% 2 1.25% 160 Robertson 372 23.15% 678 42.19% 417 25.95% 140 8.71% 1,607 Stewart 56 17.28% 174 53.70% 80 24.69% 14 4.32% 324 Wayne 15 9.74% 76 49.35% 56 36.36% 7 4.55% 154 Williamson(part) 1,323 36.84% 1,264 35.20% 739 20.58% 265 7.38% 3,591 Totals 8,653 27.89% 7,720 24.88% 7,498 24.17% 7,153 23.06% 31,024

Independents Candidates Declared Terri Christie, boat captain Bobby Dodge Robert James Sutherby Jon Thorp, commercial helicopter pilot (previously ran as a Republican)

Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handJon Thorp (I)$7,392$7,332$60Source: Federal Election Commission

General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofInside Elections November 20, 2025 The Cook Political Report November 13, 2025 Sabato's Crystal Ball July 10, 2025

Post-primary endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error MattVan Epps (R) AftynBehn (D) Other UndecidedEmerson CollegeNovember 22–24, 2025600 (LV)± 3.9%48%46%2%5%49%47%4%–Impact Research (D)October 16–19, 2025700 (LV)± 3.7%52%44%1%3%Workbench Strategy (D)October 15–19, 2025400 (LV)± 5.7%51%41%7%1%52%44%4%

Results