Matt Van Epps won the special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District by defeating Aftyn Behn with a margin of about nine percentage points, ending with around 52-54% of the vote due to strong support from Donald Trump and major donors like Elon Musk.Behn, backed by figures such as Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, focused on affordability issues but fell short despite high turnout and progressive support.The Republican victory was narrower than previous margins, sparking debate about
GOP strategy, the role of Trump, and future party challenges, with
John Thune,
Mike Johnson, and others urging stronger messaging for 2026.