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Early polling suggests the race in Tennessee’s 7th district, where Trump won by 22 points in 2024, will be tight
Rhian LubinTuesday 02 December 2025 11:15 GMTComments
CloseDemocrats hope for off-year house upset in Tennessee special election
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President Donald Trump and the GOP are set to face a major test ahead of the knife-edge congressional race in Tennessee, where Republicans and Democrats have called in the big guns to campaign for their candidates.
Voters will go to the polls Tuesday in Tennessee’s 7th district, reliably deep-red and where the president won by 22 points in 2024.
Early polling suggests the race will be tight.
Speaker Mike Johnson flew into the state Monday to campaign for the GOP candidate Matt Van Epps, who is up against Nashville Democrat Aftyn Behn, nicknamed “the AOC of Tennessee” by the right.
The president dialed in to the rally on Johnson’s cell phone and addressed Republican supporters, calling for a “sweeping victory.”
“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now. And they're watching your district,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Vice President Al Gore backed Behn during an online rally.
If Behn clinches victory in Tennessee, it would not only be an embarrassing defeat for the president but would move the U.S. House of Representatives closer to a Democratic majority.
Republicans have only 219 votes in the House, a number that will go down to 218 when Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns from Congress next month.
KEY POINTS
- The Tennessee race that has Donald Trump scared
- Race is on a knife-edge
Congressional race is on a knife-edge, according to polling
Democrats have a legitimate shot at flipping the deep-red congressional district in the heart of the South, according to recent polling.
Emerson College and The Hill conducted a poll for the special election in Tennessee’s 7th district.
It puts Republican Matt Van Epps at a slight lead at 48 percent, only two points ahead of Democratic state legislator Aftyn Behn, whom 46 percent of voters support.
It’s within the margin of error.
Emerson Polling gives Matt Van Epps a slight lead (Emerson College)Rhian Lubin2 December 2025 11:15The Tennessee race that has Donald Trump scared
The congressional race in Tennessee has become surprisingly competitive, and today’s election could be a big sign of where President Donald Trump stands with the country - and the battle his party could face in 2026.
The Tennessee 7th district is one the president won by 22 points in 2024, but just a year later, a Democrat is putting up a serious bid to wrestle control of the seat from Republicans.
It would not only be an embarrassing defeat for the president, but would move the U.S. House of Representatives closer to a Democratic majority.
Eric Garcia breaks down the significance of the race...
The Tennessee race that has Donald Trump scared: Is a blue wave is on the horizon?
The fact Republicans have to work so hard in a district Trump won by double digits does not portend well for the GOP, Eric Garcia writesRhian Lubin2 December 2025 10:50Tennessee voters to head to the polls today
President Donald Trump and Republicans will try to recover from recent losses around the country today when Tennessee voters head to the polls and select the next representative for the deep-red 7th House Congressional District.
The special election, which was organized after Republican Rep. Mark Green resigned this summer, saw an unexpected surge of spending in recent weeks, flooding the airwaves and filling residents’ mailboxes with campaign flyers.
Republican candidate Matt Van Epps is up against Nashville Democrat Aftyn Behn, who has been dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” by the right.
Democratic congressional candidate and state Rep. Aftyn Behn (AP)
Republican candidate Matt Van Epps (Getty)Rhian Lubin, AP2 December 2025 10:32More about
Donald TrumpMike JohnsonHouse of RepresentativesGOPTennesseeAlexandria Ocasio-CortezJoin our commenting forum
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