Van Epps Wins Tennessee House Seat in Special Election Victory

Republican Matt Van Epps successfully held Tennessee’s 7th U.S. House seat Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Aftyn Behn in a closely watched special election to fill a vacated seat in the state’s congressional delegation.

The Results

With more than 95 percent of precincts reporting, Van Epps secured 96,988 votes, earning 53.9 percent of the total. Behn followed with 81,044 votes, accounting for 45.1 percent of the vote. Independent candidates trailed far behind, with Jonathan Thorp receiving 932 votes, Teresa Christie 610 votes and Bobby Dodge 196 votes, for a total turnout of 179,899 ballots cast.

Behns Comments

The race also drew attention due to resurfaced comments from Behn that became an issue in the final stretch of the campaign. Behn previously posted, “Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified,” a statement she did not formally disavow during the race. Additional remarks critical of Nashville also circulated, including, “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it.”

A Republican Hold

Van Epps’ win keeps the district in Republican hands and reinforces GOP strength in the region following a high turnout special election. Party leaders are expected to formally swear him in after results are certified. The outcome solidifies Republican control of the seat as the next legislative session approaches, closing the chapter on a closely monitored special contest that drew statewide attention.

This article was written by SHR Media Staff covering election results and verified public reporting. All rights reserved.

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