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Tennessee special election is a test for Republicans — and a bellwether for Democrats

Van Epps is the Republican candidate in a closely watched special election for a seat important to the House majority.

Tennessee special election is a test for Republicans — and a bellwether for Democrats
Image · Yahoo News

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

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Republished from Deseret News. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.

Deseret News77/100 HIGH

78 stories · 76–78 · updated Oct 13, 2026

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Yahoo Newsvia Deseret News
Dec 2, 2025
tl;dr

A Tennessee special election that could affect Republicans’ slim House majority is much closer than expected, with polling showing a competitive race between Matt Van Epps and Aftyn Behn. The contest is also being watched for signs of how Democrats may fare in the 2026 midterms.

Community verdict

VOTING CLOSED
How does this story look for
Matt Van Epps R · TN-7
NOT RATEDCLOSED

No good or bad look here

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

● INFORMATIONAL

People in this story

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Matt Van Epps
R · TN-7

Republican candidate in the Tennessee 7th District special election

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Aftyn Behn
D · TN

Democratic candidate in the Tennessee 7th District special election

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

Former representative whose retirement left the seat vacant

Mike Johnson
R · LA-4

Speaker of the House and campaigner for Van Epps

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President and supporter of Van Epps

House Minority Leader commenting on the race

Part of a bigger story

12 OUTLETS
Matt Van Epps Wins Tennessee’s 7th District Special Election

Matt Van Epps defeated Aftyn Behn to win Tennessee’s 7th District special election for the U.S. House. Left-leaning outlets frame the narrow margin as a warning for Republicans and a sign of Democratic momentum. Center outlets focus on the result and its wider electoral implications, with some emphasizing the margin’s potential significance for Republicans. Right-leaning outlets consider what the result means for both parties and point to district boundaries as a factor in Van Epps’s win.

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