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Republican Matt Van Epps narrowly wins special House election in Tennessee

Behn lost to Van Epps but received roughly 45% of the vote, outperforming the district’s previous Democratic results.

Republican Matt Van Epps narrowly wins special House election in Tennessee
Image · South Carolina Public Radio

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This article1 analysis · Oct 12, 2026

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Republished from NPR, with credit to the original publisher.

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119 stories · 88–89 · updated Oct 12, 2026

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tl;dr

Republican Matt Van Epps won Tennessee’s 7th District special election by 9 percentage points over Democrat Aftyn Behn. The race drew heavy outside spending and renewed attention to affordability and Democratic gains ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Community verdict

VOTING CLOSED
How does this story look for
Aftyn Behn D · TN
NOT RATEDCLOSED

No good or bad look here

This story reports what happened without casting Behn in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Behn’s record.

● INFORMATIONAL

People in this story

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Aftyn Behn
D · TN

Democratic candidate who lost the Tennessee 7th District special election

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Matt Van Epps
R · TN-7

Republican winner of the Tennessee 7th District special election

Van Epps's version of this story ↗
Mark E. Green
Former U.S. Representative (R-TN)

Former representative whose resignation led to the special election

Mike Johnson
R · LA-4

Speaker of the House who held a get-out-the-vote rally for Van Epps

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President who endorsed and campaigned for Van Epps

Marjorie Taylor Greene
Former U.S. Representative (R-GA)

Representative whose planned resignation will change the House margin

Kamala Harris
Former U.S. Senator (D-CA)

Former vice president who attended canvassing events for Behn

Representative who headlined a virtual rally for Behn

ALSO MENTIONED  Al Gore, Former vice president who headlined a rally for Behn; Ken Martin, Democratic National Committee chairman commenting on Behn’s performance

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