Newsweek, December 2025
The results of a closely watched special election in Tennessee has delivered signals for both parties ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic State Representative Aftyn Behn in the contest for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. With 99 percent of votes counted, Van Epps’ lead was around 9 percentage points. He has 53.9 percent of the vote, compared with 45 percent for Behn.
Van Epps’ margin of victory in a deep-red district marks a 13-point shift toward Democrats from 2024, when President Donald Trump carried it by 22 points. While Democrats are buoyed by Behn’s overperformance, some Republicans are sounding the alarm about what the result could mean for the midterms next year.
