Republican Matt Van Epps won Tuesday’s special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn.

The special election drew national attention as it was expected to be one of the closest federal races in the state this year. The seat opened after former Congressman Mark Green stepped down in July to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

Van Epps, a military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, was projected as the winner shortly after polls closed, with a lead of roughly nine percentage points.

The margin was narrower than in the previous general election, when the Republican candidate won the district by 21 points, according to the Associated Press . Behn won Davi

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