NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As a leader of the College Democrats at Vanderbilt University, Luci Wingo knew the odds of a Democrat winning one of Nashville's three U.S. House seats weren't great. Yet her hope grew as the party mounted an aggressive campaign for its candidate, Aftyn Behn, in a special election to replace a Republican who had resigned.

In the end, high Democratic enthusiasm and millions of dollars in spending weren't enough. Republican Matt Van Epps won Tuesday's vote by 9 percentage points — a closer margin than the district's last election, yet still a victory for the GOP that seemed all but certain based on how the district was drawn. Republicans had split the unified Democratic stronghold of Nashville into three GOP-leaning districts after the last census.

As states wage a mid-d

See Full Page