Skip to main content
8 min read

Is a blue wave headed for Trump, GOP? Tennessee sends 'warning signs'

Behn lost the special election by 9 points in a district Trump had carried by 22.

Is a blue wave headed for Trump, GOP? Tennessee sends 'warning signs'
Image · Yahoo News

SOURCE CHECK

TAP FOR WHY
Host credibilityYahoo News74/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 12, 2026

Credibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.

Republished with credit

Republished from USA Today, with credit to the original publisher.

USA Today80/100 HIGH

21 stories · 79–81 · updated Oct 11, 2026

This is USA Today's own score, and this article is credited to USA Today. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.

Yahoo Newsvia USA Today
Dec 3, 2025
tl;dr

Republican Matt Van Epps won Tennessee’s special House election, but Democrat Aftyn Behn lost by only 9 points in a district Donald Trump carried by 22. The article says the result is fueling Democratic optimism and raising questions about Republicans’ prospects in 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

SWIPE →
Aftyn Behn
D · TN

Democratic candidate in Tennessee’s 7th District special election

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President whose support and political standing are central to the article’s midterm outlook

Trump's version of this story ↗
Matt Van Epps
R · TN-7

Republican candidate who won Tennessee’s 7th District special election

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

Former representative whose seat was vacated

Abigail Davis Spanberger
Former U.S. Representative (D-VA)

Virginia governor-elect pictured in the article’s election coverage

Mike Johnson
R · LA-4

Speaker of the House pictured at a campaign event with Van Epps

Jamie Raskin
D · MD-8

Democratic representative commenting on Republican redistricting strategy

Jason Crow
D · CO-6

Democratic representative commenting on Republican House-seat vulnerability

Fred Upton
Former U.S. Representative (R-MI)

Former Republican representative commenting on voter dissatisfaction

Discussion · 0

What's your take?

Loading comments…