Democrats’ surge in Tennessee throws new uncertainty onto GOP’s 2026 House map
The results from the hotly contested special election in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District are in, handing a decisive victory to Republicans. But both Republicans and Democrats are drawing political ammunition...
By Fox News · Fox News
The results from the hotly contested special election in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District are in, handing a decisive victory to Republicans. But both Republicans and Democrats are drawing political ammunition from the outcome. President Donald Trump proclaimed it was a "great night for the Republican Party!!!" after GOP nominee Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic rival Aftyn Behn in the high-stakes race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job. But Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, pointing to Van Epps' roughly 9-point margin in a solidly-red district Trump carried by 22 points a year ago, argued that "Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes." With the GOP clinging to a razor-thin majority in the House, the special election was seen as a must-win for Republicans. And now, both parties are drawing conclusions on what the results mean for next year's midterm elections, when the House majority is up for grabs. TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN KEEPS CRUCIAL CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN GOP HANDS And there's a divide among Democrats, with moderates questioning whether Behn, who was dubbed the "AOC of Tennessee" in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y., was too far to the left for the district — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretching from Kentucky to Alabama, and including parts of Nashville. With so much on the line, outside groups aligned with both parties shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race. And the DNC and the rival Republican National Committee (RNC) each poured resources into the showdown, which included dispatching staffers onto the campaign trail. DECISION DAY: TRUMP, SPEAKER JOHNSON, AOC BLITZ CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON EVE OF KEY SHOWDOWN House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., spent the entire day on election eve with Van Epps, joining the GOP nominee at a slew of rallies and stops across the district. He was…