Decision Day: Trump, Speaker Johnson, AOC blitz campaign trail in must-win special House election for GOP
FRANKLIN, TN - Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Joe Gruters says that the Democrats' momentum following their sweeping victories in last month's 2025 ballot box showdowns will come to an...
By Fox News · Fox News
FRANKLIN, TN - Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Joe Gruters says that the Democrats' momentum following their sweeping victories in last month's 2025 ballot box showdowns will come to an end in Tuesday's special election for a hotly contested GOP-controlled vacant House seat in a ruby red Tennessee congressional district. "Tennessee is the red wall. So they’re not getting past Tennessee. We’re going to win this race. This is our territory," the RNC chair told Fox News Digital after speaking at a rally for Matt Van Epps, the GOP congressional nominee in a must-win race for Republicans. Van Epps is facing off against Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job. TOP SURROGATES HIT CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON EVE OF CRUCIAL CONGRESSIONAL SHOWDOWN President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, and includes parts of Nashville — by 22 points in last year's presidential election. And Green won the district by over 20 points in his 2022 and 2024 re-elections. But Democrats are energized following the 2025 elections and polls suggest a close contest between Van Epps and Behn in a race that's seen as a key barometer ahead of next year's midterm elections , when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin House majority. WATCH: WHAT AFTYN BEHN TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ON ELECTION EVE Pointing to New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia, where the Democrats scored high-profile victories last month, Gruters said they are "a lot different than Nashville, Tennessee and these communities out here." "From a registration perspective and from a party perspective, this is our home turf....We’ll get right back on track to the 2026 midterms with a victory," Gruters predicted. Outside groups aligned with both parties have shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race and pour resources on…