Republican Matt Van Epps held off a challenge from Democrat Aftyn Behn on Tuesday in the special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, with voters delivering both a result and a broader

Republican Matt Van Epps has won a special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House. Van Epps was backed by President Donald Trump.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave his fellow Republicans a warning about the 2026 midterms after the Democratic Party outperformed expectations in the Tennessee special election, sharply narrowing the gap in a district President Donald Trump had won by more than 20 points at the last presidential election.

Republican Matt Van Epps won after both parties spent significant effort in a district Trump won by more than 20 points.

This number is an estimate and is based on several different factors, including information on the number of votes cast early as well as information provided to our vote reporters on Election Day from county election officials.

The race has been viewed as a bellwether for the 2026 midterm elections, and the margin of Republican victory will be closely analysed.

Voters in Tennessee elected Republican Matt Van Epps to fill a vacant U.S. House of Representatives seat, U.S. media outlets projected on Tuesday, padding the narrow lead by President Donald Trump's party in the chamber heading into next year's midterm elections.

Matt Van Epps won the Nashville-area district, but Democrat Aftyn Behn narrowed the GOP’s margin compared with 2024.

Tennessee's House District 7 was supposed to be Democrat-proof, but a progressive state representative is looking for an upset over her GOP rival.