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 message.

The result preserves a House seat that the GOP badly needs, given how slim its majority is. But the margin — a 9-point win for Van Epps in a district President Donald Trump carried by 22 points last year — bolsters Democratic optimism heading into next year’s midterms.

The big picture

The final result is in line with all of the other House special elections this year, which featured strong Democratic performances. In the four specials before last night’s, Democrats had posted net improvements of 16 to 22 points compared to the 2024 presidential margin in those districts. Behn’s 9-p

See Full Page