A surprisingly close special election in Tennessee is one of the biggest warning signs yet that Republicans could be in trouble during next year’s midterm elections, according to a veteran GOP communications specialist.

Matt Van Epps, 42, a Trump-endorsed Army veteran and former state commissioner, defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn, 36, by just 9 percentage points in Tuesday’s race for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.

President Donald Trump swept the district by 22 points in 2024, meaning Behn overperformed by double digits.

The results continued a nationwide trend of weak electoral results for Republicans, after Democrats swept a slate of key elections last month—including gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey—and overperfor

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